Wanderlust
by esharpthat
Summary: After Ash's defeat in the Kalos league, he tears himself away from the traveling life and settles down in Lilycove City, while Serena lives a far away life in Courmarine City in Kalos. Years after the two have separated, by fate, a wandering group of Wailmer draw Ash to Courmarine, where he is reunited with Serena, and the chance to make things right. AshxSerena, Amourshipping.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon, I simply borrow it!

AN: This is my first ever Pokemon fic, and I'm so excited to write it. I haven't seen the entire anime, but I've played every game and seen most of it, so I hope I do well with the characters. At first glance, you might see a much more mature Ash, because I have him aged around 24 years old, but I am hoping to preserve as much of his dense, hot headedness as possible throughout this story, which is probably silly but I'm hoping it develops well. Cheers!

Chapter 1

The alarm cut through the crisp air like a freshly sharpened knife, protesting it's time synchronized with the dim glow of the digital numbers that read out 4 in the morning. Though the curtains had been drawn on the large sliding window, it had been left ajar the night before, letting the cool air from the nearby ocean of Lilycove City blow in and rustle them. The room was dim, and the blaring alarm threatened to continue endlessly until a hand pulled itself from its prison under the flattened pillow where it had spent the night and slammed down the snooze button.

Ash Ketchum moaned through a tight, sleepy throat, rolling onto his back and flinging his right arm over his eyes. Not a single part of him wanted to get up and out of his too warm bed in his too comfortable position, but he knew he had short minutes left before his alarm protested that choice. Knowing all too well it would come sooner rather than later, he felt his breathing slow and steady, drowsing lazily and counting in his head the seconds that would go by before –

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.

Five minutes, over. The clock read 4:05 now and Ash groaned in disgust, dramatically slamming his fist that had been draped over his closed eyes down to his sides where he narrowly missed a small Pokemon that had been snoring softly, oblivious to his trainer's internal debate.

"Sorry, Pikachu." Ash muttered softly to his partner, releasing his angry fist and flattening it against the soft fur between the long ears of his long-time partner. The Pokemon's fur was soft but had the slightest bit of static that ran up Ash's arm gently, reaching his face and warming it from the inside out. He smiled crookedly and opened his eyes to the dark, tiny room. "Alright, time to get up."

Detangling his 24 year old body out of the warm bed, he swung his legs out and braced himself against the cold floor that greeted him. The calendar hanging on the door of the tiny Lilycove waterfront apartment had an X through yesterday's date, October 5th. With the weather getting colder the mornings were becoming increasingly difficult for Ash, but he had work to do. Groggily, Ash pulled on his dark work pants that were both warm and water proof, and a tight thermal shirt that would go on underneath his jacket. He walked out of his bedroom with eyes half closed, leaving his stretching Pikachu to fend for itself.

Just outside the bedroom was a small sitting room with a single couch and coffee table littered with papers that were begging to be signed and organized, but Ash walked straight to the small kitchen. He took a bowl from the drying rack near the sink and poured the remains of the cereal box that was left on the counter the night before. Opening the fridge, he saw there was just about what you could call a mouthful of milk left in an expired carton. Shrugging, he dumped it in and prayed he wouldn't be sorry about it later. Setting out a bowl of Poke-chow for his partner, he sat down on the couch and brought the cereal to his mouth, chewing lazily.

These mornings had become the norm for Ash. After losing the Kalos league years ago, in a fit of anguish and self-pity, Ash decided he needed a change. He decided to leave Kalos and head back to Hoenn where he had taken a particular liking to Lilycove City. Professor Rowan, the professor who studied habitats and migration patterns of Pokemon, just so happened to need assistance in the city. There was a particular group of Wailmer that spent a certain amount of time in the shallows of Lilycove's water, playing, growing and eating together before migrating back to an unknown location. Although a usually peaceful Pokemon, this group had been very cooperative and it interested Professor Rowan very much. For years, Ash had been tasked with recording their behaviors, which unfortunately began with feeding time at dawn. So, Ash took what little belongings he had, begged a noodle shop by the water to let him live in the space above the shop and started his life watching Wailmer for the Professor.

It's not that he didn't enjoy his work; he was very lucky the professor was able to pay him well, and that work began so early that he had a majority of the sunshine to himself. Because of this, in his spare times after the Wailmer settled for the afternoon before evening preparations, Ash was able to train – hard. He kept few Pokemon with him, occasionally calling up those that lived with Professor Oak to develop all of their skills, but gave them his full attention. His Pikachu was always with him, and had become a pint sized power house. His Greninja's ability to tune into Ash's mental wavelengths were nearly perfect and the two had never felt more connected or powerful. His Noivern was fierce and loyal, radiating a powerful presence. Finally, Ash had called back on his Charizard, asking if he would stay in Lilycove with Ash and train hard with his other partners. Charizard, who was too proud to admit he had missed being with his trainer, agreed, and had transformed into an unrecognizable force. Ash smiled in the dark room, thinking about how far he had come with his training and the bond he shared with his Pokemon.

Nevertheless, he still had one thing that tugged at him daily about leaving Kalos – his traveling companions. His eyes flitted automatically, as it did every morning, to a picture sitting pristinely on his coffee table; free of dust and well kept, the pictured showed a photo of the four of them. Clement with his hand around his glasses, his other arm thrown around his younger sister Bonnie, who had to be almost 15 by now. His eyes traveled across the picture to a golden haired petite girl who was shyly putting her hand on his own shoulder, looking at the camera with blue, shimmering eyes. Ash's stomach lurched, as it did every time he thought of her. Serena.

She had been the hardest to leave. Although he tried not to, it was too vivid of a memory. Tearing himself away from her sweet embrace, feeling the cold wet spot soaking through the shoulder of his jacket where Serena's tears had fell freely, mixing with her slurred pleas for him to stay, not to leave her. His vision had blurred before he firmly detached himself from her, staring at the ground and whispering so quietly, "goodbye, Serena." He wished he had been able to look into her eyes one more time before he flung himself away and ran recklessly, losing himself in a crowd.

Ash shook this memory, setting down his now empty bowl and tossing aside papers to find his submerged and nearly dead tablet. He fingered lightly over the screen, wincing as the light hit his eyes, but opened the chat application he used to mostly keep in touch with his mom, who missed him terribly. He scrolled past his mom's envelope, the last message one from her that previewed, "have you been washing your underwear?" and opened up the only other envelope on the application, a conversation with Serena. They had kept in touch, but for Ash, words were only so much now. He re-read the last message from her, a simple, "goodnight, Ash," and smiled. Ash longed to see her, and as the sun crept up over the waters of Lilycove, he was reminded of his duties but the small part of him that forever belonged to her wondered if she longed to see him too.

In Courmarine City of the Kalos region, the same sun had begun to rise, reflecting off of the docked boats and sails that flapped gently in the morning breeze. The docks were emptying now, preparing for the chilly onset of autumn when even the warm waters of Kalos became icy enough to deter average sailors. The first shops were beginning to open their doors for morning tea and coffee, including a small, golden haired 23 year old woman walking quietly down the docks with a tall and well-groomed Delphox.

Serena made her way towards her Pokemon grooming shop with a small, sleepy smile on her face being warmed on one side by the early sunshine. She looked up at her proud Delphox, who sensed her glance and gazed back happily, relishing in its favorite alone time with its trainer. Serena's hair had grown since That Day as she remembered it, and was almost back to the length that she had worn it for years. Her black leggings hugged her legs while her long sleeved white fleece sweater fit loosely over her shoulders, a red scarf warming her neck.

Shortly after That Day, Serena fought her way back from a sunken hollow that made her chest ache with longing. While her love for performing had never died, she felt like a small piece of her couldn't bring itself to competing anymore. So, she listened to this small piece of her heart that seemed desperately overpowering and thought deeply about what part of performing she was most passionate about: making her partners look and feel their best. She packed her bags, moved into a small bungalow on the ocean of Courmarine City and became a Pokemon grooming apprentice. Serena quickly surpassed her master Juliette's skills, and they had soon become partners. Serena was content with being at the shop first.

As she unlocked the doors of the ocean front shop, she ran through the list of appointments she had today. Grooming was not necessarily all making Pokemon look good, although that was still a significant part of her job. Many groomers, the good ones she had learned, also acted as non-emergency medical personnel, ensuring that Pokemon not only looked good but were healthy and well cared for. Some of her clients came to their shop simply for check-ups passing through the tourist heavy town. Serena could do some medical procedures on her own, but for most, if she identified an issue, she sent them straight down the block to Nurse Joy at the Pokemon Center.

Serena drew the curtains on the flawless windows which she flung open to the breeze, leaning her hip against the white windowsill. Her loving Delphox observed the calm waters with her, drinking in the peacefulness of the moment, oblivious to Serena's racing mind. Her thoughts were now with her pink tablet, shoved into a small pocket of her grooming bag, fully charged. Since That Day, they had kept in touch. She should be angry at him for leaving her like he did, and a small part of her was. However, as the sun splashed beautiful shades of orange and red over her blue eyes, the part of her that she felt forever belonged to him missed him more than words. Words that were no longer enough. She longed to see him, and as she sighed heavily and pulled back her long, honey colored hair, that same part wondered if he longed to see her too.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 **AN:** _Thank you very much to everyone who followed, reviewed or favorited! Your encouragement means the world to me and I am so happy to share with you guys. A bit longer of a chapter, but I was really eager to get the story going; I know it might feel a bit slow at the beginning, but I'm hoping to get these two on with their journey's. I work full time during the week, so I'll tend to spit out a lot of updates on weekends while staying relatively silent on weekdays, so I'm hoping to get out one or two more chapters this weekend. Let me know what you think! Cheers!_

The cool months were truly ushering themselves in shamelessly; while the water off the coast of Lilycove shimmered brightly in the harsh sun, Ash had his dark hood pulled as far over his face as he could get to brace against the icy wind. Barely visible just below his chin were the brown tips of Pikachu's ears, who had vacated his normal spot gazing from the bow of the boat in favor of a much warmer haven inside of Ash's jacket. Ash's body reacted to Pikachu's static heat, slowly but surely regaining feeling in his clenched fists that were tightly wound around the wheel of the worn down but solid fishing boat.

"Shy this morning? It must be almost time…" Ash muttered to himself, his eyes half closed against the breeze from the boat. He scanned the iridescent water, looking for any signs of his familiar Wailmer. Glancing at his watch, he was able to make out that it was nearly 6:30 and he had yet to see one. Frowning, he nervously wondered if they had decided to leave. Ash knew the time was close, as the Wailmer always left before the waters became too frigid, but he didn't think they were quite ready to depart. A strange sadness, an emptiness, suddenly washed over him. "Do you think they left, buddy? We didn't even get to say goodbye to Wailmer 394."

Suddenly, just over Ash's left shoulder, a spout broke the surface of the water, followed by a quick succession of about 20 more. Ash's face lit up into his signature wide smile, laughing as he turned the boat as quickly as he could. Pikachu's face came up over the top of Ash's jacket, exclaiming and looking excitedly towards the group. It was in these moments, while the crisp morning air moved swiftly across the water, the boat underneath his feet rocking in simple, familiar motions and the call of singing Wailmer that Ash felt truly – almost – alive again.

Ash slowly pulled up to the large group of Wailmer, who were more than happy to see him. Pikachu had even braved the chilly air to lean over the side of the old boat; he had taken a liking to one Wailmer in particular – one Ash had dubbed Wailmer 394, who made his way towards Pikachu, singing happily to him.

"Good morning 394!" Ash addressed his crew, wrestling to pry his frozen fingers off of the smooth steering wheel. He walked towards the stern to a white chest that was strapped down firmly, which housed all of Ash's field notebooks. Ash would have never considered himself any sort of scientist when he first began his work for the Professor, but thanks to a year of training with one of Rowan's assistants, Yuzo, Ash was confident in his field work abilities. He pulled out a notebook full of graph paper along with an Advanced Pokedex and walked back towards the side of the boat. "We thought you left already, 394. Without saying goodbye to your friend Pikachu!"

Ash smiled to himself as he opened the Pokedex and faced the transparent screen. Sliding open, the Pokedex's camera focused easily on the Wailmer.

"Wailmer, the Ball Whale Pokemon. It eats one ton of food a day and will play by shooting stored seawater from its blowholes with great force. Specimen number 394. Length, 6 feet 5 inches. Approximate weight, 280 pounds."

"Wow Wailmer, you've grown 5 inches overnight!" Ash laughed and reached his free hand over the side of the boat, resting it on the nearby gentle giant. "I think tomorrow might be the day, what do you think Pikachu?"

Pikachu's ears drooped, wishing it did not agree with Ash. He was sad to see his friend leave him after spending many months enjoying the beautiful waters of Lilycove together. Ash clenched his teeth as a familiar pull in his stomach made him sick; he knew what it was like to not want to leave someone. "I know buddy, but the Wailmer follow their heart every season. They go back to what calls them."

 _Wouldn't that be something,_ Ash thought to himself as he completed his necessary recordings and turned back towards the shore. It was nearly 10 now, which meant the sun was out in full force, and so was Pikachu, who had returned to his usual spot on the bow, turning his red cheeks towards the sky. Ash was unusually silent as he gently led the boat to its spot on the dock. He had been so preoccupied that he hardly noticed the imposing figure who stood stoically at the end of the floating dock.

"Well, you're much better than the first time you tried to park her."

Ash dropped to the ground of the boat, shocked out of his deep thinking, before rapidly pulling himself off the damp floor and facing the figure that had started to truly guffaw at him.

"Professor Rowan! What are you doing here?" Ash exclaimed, quickly knotting the rope that would anchor the boat to the dock. The professor stopped his laughing long enough to reach a hand out towards Ash, where he caught the flung rope and securely fitted it to the dock. "You've come a long way from Sinnoh!"

Wiping tears from his eyes, Professor Rowan faced Ash as he leapt across to the floating dock, Pikachu perched on his shoulder, happy to see the professor after such a long time. "It's good to see you, Ash!"

"Don't get me wrong Professor, it's really good to see you too!" Ash clasped his hand firmly, his other hand gripping the back of his head, rustling his dark black hair nervously. He suddenly felt very self-conscious of the expired milk he had chosen to dump in his cereal that morning.

"You were out long, how are my Wailmer doing this morning?" The normally gruff exterior of the Professor had long gone in the relationship between Ash and his mentor. Now, Ash expected nothing less than kindness and jokes from the older professor.

"They're doing awesome. Pikachu's buddy grew five inches just overnight, I think tomorrow might be the day they go back home." Ash smiled softly, glancing out towards the ocean as he said this.

"Five inches you say? Well, that certainly sounds like a good hypothesis to me." The professor paused, following Ash's gaze. A stray Wingull made its presence known by loudly screeching as it flew overhead.

"Thanks, professor. So really, what brings you all the way to Hoenn? It's not very often you make the trip to see us."

The two began to stroll down the dock, making their way towards the bustling boardwalk. Although the weather was beginning to chill, Lilycove City drew its usual crowds that made life bearable for Ash.

"It just so happens that I had business with Professor Birch yesterday and I find myself having this thing called 'free time,' have you ever heard of it?" The professor joked, elbowing Ash in the ribs harder than Ash was prepared for.

Ash doubled over, attempting badly to cover up the stitch that now throbbed in his side. "Very funny sir, but I'm happy to see you. You came on the perfect day to say goodbye to your Wailmer."

The professor suddenly stopped, and looked deep into Ash's eyes. Ash took a step back; habit brought his hand back behind his head, where he nervously scratched. _This can't be good,_ he thought, _I knew I could only run from this for so long_.

"While I can't deny I enjoy your company Ash, I did want to talk to you about the Wailmer," the professor said calmly. "You've done excellent work for me, and for this I am grateful. I've always enjoyed hearing the stories about the Wailmer that return here every year, and because of your wonderful field reporting, I've learned a great deal about them. I really do want to thank you."

Ash sighed in relief, letting his hand fall to his side. He glanced at his confused Pikachu before turning back to the professor and shrugging, blushing in embarrassment. "Professor it was really great of you to take me on, I'm glad I could help."

"Ash, I think I have a theory about where the Wailmer return to every year thanks to your data compiled over the past few years." The professor looked out towards the water, dancing in the sunlight. "Tomorrow morning, when the Wailmer will most certainly leave, I want you to pack a bag, and follow them."

Ash's eyes widened as he dropped to the ground for the second time that morning, the professor standing calmly next to him as Ash struggled to pick himself up. "You want me to follow the Wailmer?"

"Yes." The professor turned back to Ash, his eyes softening at the young trainer. "Ash, I know how hard you've worked for me and I am truly grateful. I also know how hard you've worked for yourself. You and I both know you're not meant to be in one place; you've acted admirably here, but I think it's time you return to your travels. As much as I appreciate all of your help, I would struggle to sleep at night if I kept you still another year."

Ash was truly touched, and surprised. Images of his Charizard spreading his powerful wings, building a powerful flamethrower danced in front of his staring eyes. His Greninja's thoughts merging with his into one perfect union filling his fast beating heart with adrenaline. With the Professor's words, Ash's dream of becoming a Pokemon master, of finally, _finally_ winning a league, burst through to the forefront of his thoughts like a broken dam releasing its water. Suddenly, instantly, he felt more alive than he had ever felt on the boat chasing Wailmer. In fact, those moments in the morning sun suddenly paled to comparison as he realized the professor was right.

Clenching a shaking fist, Ash looked into the professor's eyes, attempting to regain control of his faculties. "Professor…"

"Don't say another word. I think it's time for you to pack your bags, Ash." The professor smiled at him, clasping Ash's shoulder, the other hand falling between Pikachu's alert ears. "I need this one last favor from you. When the Wailmer arrive at their home, contact me to inform me of their final destination. I've had Yuzo pack a few days rations for your trip, but if my hypothesis is correct, you shouldn't need more than a couple of days."

"Sir, this is…" Ash struggled to find the words to thank him, so he spit out the first thing he could think of to say. "Sir, what about _The Wanderlust_? What about your boat?"

The professor began to laugh loudly again, releasing Ash's shoulder. "Don't worry about the boat, Ash. Once you tell me where the Wailmer have finished their travels, I can send someone to collect it. Now, hurry, from what our Wailmer tell us, you don't have much time!"

* * *

"Serena, it's almost 8. I think I can handle the shop from here." Juliette's gentle voice broke Serena out of her reverie. She had been staring out of the open window again, watching the lights along the boardwalk of Courmarine twinkle back at her, her thoughts full of stages and days long ago.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Juliette." Serena sighed, withdrawing herself back into the now empty shop. Juliette had paused in the middle of her nightly sweeping, collecting piles of clipped Pokemon fur off of the ground. The shop would close at 8, and Serena had long overstayed her shift. The shop had been unusually busy; Juliette's policy of accepting walk-ins whenever possible was gracious, but it sometimes gave way to rewarding but long days. Serena could feel her arms aching lightly from hours of holding them above her shoulders to lovingly style each and every Pokemon who entered the shop that day.

Juliette smiled and brought her hand up to her face, indicating it was not a problem.

"It's okay, Serena." Juliette's bandana was tightly tied headband style over her curly hair which had been styled a gorgeous silver color. A pair of short overalls covered a white, long sleeved shirt, while long silver half-moons hung from her ears. It seemed as though every pocket of Juliette's overalls had been jammed with some type of silver grooming tool. "I know it's been a long day for us, and you've been working way too hard."

Serena began packing her grooming bag, gently placing each tool in its familiar spot. Serena felt as though she could pack and unpack this bag with a blindfold covering her eyes. As she went through her belongings, she pulled out a Pokeball that she clipped to her sweater before straightening and facing Juliette, who had a worried expression on your face.

"Where are you, Serena?" Juliette asked, quietly, barely moving her lips.

Serena tilted her head, her cheeks flushing. "What do you mean? Are you… are you feeling okay, Juliette?"

"You're way too smart to play dumb with me, Serena." Juliette moved the broom from one shoulder to another, leaning on it heavily. "Your physical form may be here, but your mind is elsewhere. Where is it?"

Serena laughed, shrugging her bag farther up her shoulder. Outwardly, Serena attempted to convey an inert coolness to her observant friend, but on the inside she was reeling. Juliette had always been what some could call spiritual, and Serena knew the Dark Type specialist often had her head in the stars and tracking motions of planets; it was inevitable with Juliette that Serena's distracted thoughts would make their presence known to her.

"I'm not sure, Juliette." Serena said. There was only so much she could hide from her friend. "I guess it's pretty obvious that I've been a little preoccupied, huh?"

Juliette resumed her sweeping, waving her hand dismissively at Serena. "My wanderer, Arceus himself would have an easier time hiding himself in an open field than your distracted thoughts could. There is turbulence in your mind, Serena."

"I'm fine Juliette, really!" Serena put her hands up in mock surrender, trying desperately to derail Juliette's thoughts. There was simply no stopping her once she felt disturbances in her peaceful world.

"Yes, and my Houndoom loves water too," Juliette rolled her eyes as she bent down to scoop up a pile of fur and throw it in the trash. "You have him on your mind, don't you? It has been difficult for you lately, I can tell."

Serena immediately felt her cheeks burning white hot, her eyes watering in embarrassment. Juliette was too perceptive for her own good and Serena silently cursed her wide open body language. She sighed, realizing defeat and setting her bag back down on the floor, realizing she was in for it now.

Juliette looked satisfied before turning somber, leaning the broom against the grooming table she was working around. She crossed her arms over her chest, looking at Serena as though she was a particularly dirty Furfrou. "There's no shame in having feelings like this Serena. What is shameful is keeping them inside, destroying you slowly. It is not healthy, and it the turbulence will damage you here," she held a finger to her forehead, "and here," finishing with a fist over her heart.

"I know, Juliette, I know." Serena sighed, she had had this exact discussion with Juliette many times before.

"If you know, then why do you continue to live in the shadows of your truth?" Juliette shrugged at her expectantly. "Whoever said the truth shall set you free was not lying. Besides, I read your tarot cards again last night and - !"

"Again, Juliette?! Stop doing this without me!"

"And if you don't do something soon it will devour you." Juliette finished dramatically. "I don't need a tarot card to tell me this. Look at yourself, you're a lovesick Growlithe that has lost its flamethrower. Why don't you say something, Serena?"

"It's been so long, Juliette." Serena began. "We talk a couple times a week, but I doubt he even remembers what I look like. He made it very clear to me when he left that he had no desire to stay here, with me, and I've accepted it. I've learned to live with it."

"Wrong, you've learned to exist with it. Existing and living are two entirely different things," Juliette muttered. Serena inhaled sharply, letting the gravity of Juliette's frankly truthful words settle onto her. Her eyes began to water as his face flashed suddenly across them, sending her heart clear to her throat. She hid her tears unsuccessfully.

Juliette sighed, walking over to Serena and placing an arm around her shoulder. "Go home my wanderer. Make yourself a warm cup of tea, open the windows to the changing ocean air, and do not come back here for a week."

Serena picked her head up in shock, looking Juliette directly in the eyes. "Juliette, no, please. This is nonsense I don't need time off for this."

"No arguing Serena, this is by no means a punishment. Your hands create beautiful Pokemon and are truly gentle makers of art, but I can't remember the last time you had a day off. You deserve to relax and rid your mind of this dangerous turbulence. Saira and I can handle the grooming for one week." Saira worked reception at the shop and was Juliette's partner of ten years. She was beautiful and seemed to hold stars in her violet eyes; perhaps that was one of the reasons Juliette fell in love with her. "If we truly run into trouble, we will call you, but I would be happy for you to rest for a week and come back to me a happy wanderer."

Serena sighed, letting her shoulders slump forward. There was, again, no winning with Juliette. Although Serena loved her job as a successful Pokemon groomer, even she could admit she threw herself hard into her work and felt more than burnt out. As much as she wanted to stay, to keep her hands and her mind busy, she accepted defeat.

"Okay, Juliette. I promise I'll come back with no more turbulence." Serena smiled lightly at her friend.

Juliette gave her a one armed squeeze. "Someday, you will thank me."

Serena walked quietly down the boardwalk, having released her proud Delphox, who could sense something was wrong. Delphox gratefully let Serena keep quiet on their entire walk back to the small oceanfront bungalow. Serena fumbled with the keys before entering, switching on the lights to her small living room where she froze. Delphox took the liberty of closing the door behind them looking at her trainer with concern.

"It's okay Delphox." She muttered, moving automatically to the sliding glass door on the side of her house that gave her a magnificent view of the rising moon over the water. Delphox joined her, whining softly.

"We'll be okay," Serena said, whether to Delphox or herself, she wasn't sure. While she gazed out to the black emptiness of the wide ocean, the part buried deep inside of her that had been clawing its way to the surface recently broke free and she let her tears spill over. "We'll be okay."

* * *

Miles away, Ash gazed at the same moonlight from his bed, the last night in it for as long as he could tell, trying to find the right words to send to her. His tablet, now fully charged, lay gently in his palms, Pikachu fast asleep beside him. Ash's backpack leaned against his now empty dresser, heavy and familiar. He wanted to tell her where he was, what he was doing and how quickly everything had happened.

 _Come with me?_ He thought. _Wherever that is._

No, it would never, ever happen. Not again, not after how he chose to leave her That Day. Without looking into her deep blue eyes one last time; without saying that leaving her was ripping him apart inside. _I ruined this._

Wailmer 394 made its final preparations with the rest of his fellow Wailmer who felt deep inside of them a similar calling. The one that desperately pulled every group of Wailmer each year back from shallows of Lilycove City to the deep, wide and warm waters of Courmarine City.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

 **AN:** _Thank you SO incredibly much for reaching out and for all of your support. Writing is emotionally exhausting, no matter what you're embarking on, but I am so fulfilled by everyone who drops in and tells me how much they enjoy my words. Thank you! I am blown away by the reviews and favorites, an especially honored that Epicocity has made me work to make my writing better than before; special thanks to you! I hope this chapter delivers for you guys!_

* * *

The stars were beginning to fade out, giving way for the slowly rising sun as Ash stood on the floating dock next to _The Wanderlust_. The sneakers he wore were not his usual choice in boating shoe, and he could feel the cool ocean air blowing through the light mesh to his toes. His Charizard, Noivern, and Greninja were clipped securely to the waist of his dark pants, while the pocket of his deep blue zipped jacket housed his Pokedex. He was staring intently ahead, going through a checklist in his mind. It had been far too long since Ash had done this, but once started, it was like breathing for him; automatic, and necessary. It gave him life.

"I feel like I'm forgetting something, Pikachu." Ash whispered to his partner. His voice felt too loud in the quiet of the early morning hours. The only other sounds were the waves gently lapping at the docked boats.

"Pika?" Pikachu replied, sleepily. While Ash could not have been bothered to sleep, Pikachu had to be pried gently from the bare mattress not thirty minutes ago. He was currently nestled in his retreat deep inside Ash's zipped jacket, fighting off heavy eyelids. "Pikachu…"

Ash rubbed between Pikachu's ears in slow, heavy motions, smiling as he remembered the first day he met his small, but powerful partner. Their relationship could have used some work, to say the least, but since then Pikachu had become Ash's best friend and most reliable partner. There was little he loved more than his Pikachu.

"Try to contain your enthusiasm, buddy." Ash laughed to him, finishing his comforting massage. "We're finally leaving, Pikachu. Together. We weren't meant for the easy life, were we?"

Suddenly, he curled his right hand into a fist, bringing it up to his cheek, his face serious and his eyes shimmering with determination. "Right."

If he had forgotten anything, it was too late now. He hopped lightly into the boat, setting down his backpack next to the chest that now contained both his field work and food he would need for the next few days. Ash could not be deterred by the fact that he had no idea where the Wailmer would lead him, in fact it ignited his excitement further. As he felt the familiar growl in his stomach and paused a moment to groan, he certainly hoped he had enough food.

"Sorry buddy, guess I didn't eat enough before we left this morning," Ash laughed to Pikachu, who had muttered an accusatory 'Pika Pi' in response to Ash's gurgling stomach.

Ash went through his mental checklist one more time, zipping and unzipping his backpack, rustling through clothes, his light weight sleeping bag and a tightly wound tent to ensure they were all there. Satisfied, he nodded to himself and straightened from his crouched searching position to the right side of his boat, starboard, that was anchored to the dock. Leaning over carefully, awkwardly, as to not disturb his bundled Pikachu, Ash deftly removed the loops that bound _The Wanderlust_ to the dock, to stillness, and pulled them inside the boat. Pushing off the dock with his foot, probably with more force than was necessary, Ash started the engine as quietly as he could, gliding through the docked boats, which had begun to thin out for dry docking season. Ash couldn't keep the huge grin off of his face as he looked forward to the open ocean; he was finally leaving.

"Please let today be your day, Wailmer." Ash said to himself, scanning the waters as the sun burst over the horizon, the beginnings of a spectacular and bright sunrise.

"Guess I was a bit eager to get going, huh Pikachu?" He quickly checked his watch, noting that at just after 5am, it was still a bit early for Wailmer. He allowed his mind to drift back to the last night in his bed, wide awake, face lit by the white-blue glow of his tablet screen. His fingers hovered over the screen, rapidly typing and deleting messages to her, struggling to find the right words.

 _Serena, how are you? You'll never guess what happened!_

 _Serena, I want to tell you about the most awesome thing! I'm finally leaving Lilycove City!_

 _Serena, it's all very sudden but I'm leaving Lilycove._

 _Serena, come with me._

Not one message had been sent, and Ash stared endlessly at the empty text field until it was time to go without sleeping a minute. He was disappointed that he once again couldn't bring up the nerve to say something to her, that he let his complicated feelings stay hidden once again. Her sweet smile, the way she lightly touched the blue ribbon over her chest sending his stomach plummeting, everything came rushing back to him after the professor told him to go. _I've ruined this_.

A spout of water broke in front of his dazed eyes, followed by a loud chorus of singing Wailmer coming to the surface, their blue round bodies bumping one another comically as they fought for a breath of air.

"Gotcha!" Ash carefully made his way to the group, easily spotting 394 who was eagerly looking towards the boat, his eyes tilting towards the bow for Pikachu. Ash floated the boat towards 394, folding his arms over the railing and unzipping his jacket to reveal the snoozing Pikachu. "Hey buddy, wake up! Look who it is!"

Pikachu stirred, feeling the cool air on his electric cheeks. He rubbed his sleepy eyes with a clenched paw before he focused on Wailmer 394, who was preparing to blow a stream of water towards Pikachu.

"Chaaaaaa!" Pikachu dodged the small water gun attack, letting it hit Ash square in the face. Ash laughed and quickly rubbed his face with his sleeve. Behind 394, the large group of whale Pokemon were quickly forming what seemed to be pairs, identifying their partners by lazily bumping faces and singing to each other before facing the open ocean, preparing to leave.

"They're using a buddy system…" Ash whispered incredulously, quickly reaching into his pocket for his Pokedex. The camera clicked open and Ash desperately tried to record their behavior. "Science is so amazing!"

Ash quickly brought his free hand over his mouth, feeling his heart skip a beat as he had sudden flashbacks of smoking machinery, quiet mornings listening to the sounds of Clemont's careful tinkering mingled with hushed chatter from Bonnie asking to help in any way. The sight of Serena lovingly brushing Sylveon's coat until it shimmered. It surprised him how fast these memories made their way so suddenly to his mind now that his freedom to once again travel and pursue his dream lifted the heavy repression of them. The professor was right, ever since he was a kid in Kanto getting lost in the forests near Pallet Town he should have known then that he was never meant for one place. Ash had a permanent case of wanderlust.

Preoccupied with Pikachu, Wailmer 394 suddenly realized he was running out of other Wailmer to partner with and wailed at Ash in anguish, who quickly reached out a hand to quiet the distressed Pokemon.

"It's okay Wailmer! Calm down!" Ash stroked between the eyes of the large Pokemon, attempting to calm it.

Pikachu suddenly extricated himself from Ash's jacket, balancing on the railing of the ship, gesturing wildly between the Wailmer and himself. "Pika pi! Pi Pikachu, pika!"

Ash took a moment, but he managed to understand his partner. "You want to be Wailmer's partner, don't you Pikachu?"

Pikachu raised his fist in the air, confirming Ash's question. "Pika!"

Ash looked around the boat, searching, before his eyes settled on the ropes that once anchored the boat to the docks of Lilycove City now spun into a tangled pile. "I've got it!"

He jumped over to the rope, doing his best to undo the knots and tie new ones that were up to the task Ash had in mind. He leaned back over the side of the boat towards Wailmer.

"Wailmer, if you can hold this rope with you, we'll tie it to the boat with us and we can be partners! We promise, we won't let you go alone to your home. What do you say?" Ash looked expectantly at the Wailmer, hoping he had calmed it down enough to be okay.

Wailmer immediately relaxed, shooting a water gun back at Ash's face and splashing happily – it was not hard to tell that Wailmer was thrilled Ash and Pikachu wanted to be his partner.

Ash and Pikachu together punched the air with their fists, throwing the looped rope to Wailmer in the water where it managed to wedge its round balloon like body into the knot and pulled, tightening it comfortably around its body. Ash made quick work of securing their end of the rope to the bow of the boat where Pikachu had taken position. Slowly, without Ash even coaxing the boat forward, _The Wanderlust_ began moving, tugged by the powerful yet gentle Wailmer who began their trek back home.

* * *

The second morning of Serena's week long ban from the grooming shop dawned early with a shrill ringing that sent Serena straight to the floor out of bed. Groaning, she sat still, hoping the ringing from her tablet would end and whoever was attempting to call her at 6:30 in the morning would not try again. As suddenly as it began, the ringing stopped and there was once again a peaceful silence.

As fate would have it, the ringing began again, and Serena huffed loudly, standing up quickly and sprinting to her tablet she had left on the coffee table last night.

Juliette's caller identification picture was in the middle of the screen, and Serena's stomach lurched. This could not be good. Straightening her slept on hair as best as she could, she answered the call, bracing herself for quite literally anything.

"You failed your first test." Juliette's voice rang out sharply.

Serena was puzzled, feeling the heat rising to her cheeks as she began to bite her nails nervously. "Juliette its 6:30 in the morning is everything okay? Do you need me?"

She could hear the dramatic eye roll in her response. "No Serena, your mind is supposed to be resting, you're supposed to ignore my phone calls!" In the background, the muffled voice of Saira called out to Juliette and Serena could just make out what she asked her partner. "Juliette, what are you doing?"

Serena could hear Juliette put her hand to the microphone, muffling her own voice. "I'm just checking on her!"

Saira was closer to the phone now, and Serena was now having difficulty suppressing giggles. "Juliette, I told you to leave her alone! Give me the tablet right now. Right now!"

The sound of a short lived scuffle ensued before Saira's gentle voice filled Serena's ears. "Serena? Are you there?"

"I'm here, Saira. Is everything okay?" Serena asked, sliding herself closer to the tablet on the coffee table.

"Everything is fine, I'm sorry about Juliette. I think she was just trying to check in, but doesn't have the best timing…" Saira trailed off, sighing as Juliette was sounding off as loudly as she could in the background. "We both hope you enjoy your time off, you deserve it Serena; we've got everything taken care of here. We love you!"

Before Serena could even say goodbye, the line clicked and Serena was once again left in silence. She sighed, the fingers of her right hand curled gently over her lips. She realized in her haste to get out of bed to answer her tablet, she had dragged her quilt which had tangled between her legs. From her spot on the floor, Serena could see the orange sun rise through the sliding glass door. Kicking free of her comfortable prison, Serena padded quietly to the door, unlatching the lock and stepping out onto the small patio. She had to admit, Juliette was right; there was a tangible change in the air that lifted her long hair from her shoulders. What it was, Serena wasn't quite sure, but she could feel her heart skip a beat at the base of her throat and she swallowed hard.

 _Another day to myself,_ Serena thought as she watched a trainer with his Mienfoo running along the low tide in the sand. They paused, and both trainer and Pokemon dropped to the sand, performed ten push-ups and stood for a high five before continuing along the shore. _What am I going to do today?_

Serena walked back inside, leaving the door ajar. She filled her kettle with water and turned on the stove to begin warming it. Grabbing her favorite plain red mug with a pink bow for a handle, she placed a tea bag inside and waited.

She felt like yesterday was enough for her in terms of this whole week off thing. Determined to do this right, she had let herself sleep until almost 9:30 before rolling out of bed and having breakfast at her favorite bakery on the outskirts of the city. She wasted no time after that by taking the short rail ride to the shopping centers, buying a new outfit for herself and a box of the best Pokepuffs in town for Sylveon, Pancham and Delphox. Allowing herself to loiter, she returned home and lazily cooked dinner with her three loving partners, eating quietly with them on the patio watching the sunset. It had been nearly three in the morning when she finally fell asleep last night, immersing herself in a book she had promised she would read months ago.

Admittedly, Serena did feel well rested and appreciated the time she had to herself to collect her thoughts, but now she was just plain bored. Back before That Day, days that were shaping out to be as beautiful as this one usually meant hours of practicing for her next Pokemon Showcase. Her eyes wandered to her entrance way closet where a black garment bag hung collecting dust and abandoned. Automatically, Serena felt her legs carrying her towards the closet, flinging open the doors and bringing her hand to the zipper of the black bag where she froze, staring.

A flashback, sudden and powerful. _Goodbye, Serena_. He had whispered this so quietly and straight into the ground it was easy for Serena to misunderstand him, or pretend he hadn't said it to her. She had spent so many long months with him, watching him fail hard and grow harder, become stronger. She cursed his selfless acts that nearly killed him at times, and sometimes her. Mornings with his quiet words of encouragement before Clemont and Bonnie awoke, helping her find her dream to be Kalos Queen. Her feelings were clear and strong, and as she opened her mouth, to plea for him to not leave her one more time because she – that was when he ripped his hands from her shoulders, shattering her. It was so unlike the Ash she knew that it took her aback, and shocked, she lost him in the crowd, covering her mouth with cupped hands, breathless. _He's gone_.

HISSSSSSSSS!

Serena jerked her hand away from the black garment bag, whipping her head around towards the forgotten tea kettle that had begun to boil and watched the steam flow out the spout.

"Oh no!" Serena gasped, running quickly into the small kitchen, wrenching the over-heated kettle off of the stove and quickly turning it off. "How long was I staring at that stupid bag for?"

Pouring the water over the teabag placed in the mug, Serena watched it turn a light golden color with the faintest hint of green, wondering what she really was going to do with her time today. Bringing the cup close to her lips, her eyes cast downward towards the steaming mug when the green tint of the tea brought a smile to her face. _I know what I'll do today_.

* * *

It was still a bit early when Serena shrugged herself into her lightweight black jacket, bending to encourage her boots to slide easily onto her feet. Straightening, she pulled out a Pokeball and clicked the center button. A stream of light soon gave way to her Sylveon, who immediately stretched its long, ribbon like feelers around Serena's arm, its eyes shimmering with affection.

"Sylveon!" It cooed, pouring as much comfort to Serena as it possible could.

Serena smiled widely and crouched to affectionately stroke her Sylveon. "Thanks Sylveon, that really makes me feel better!" She winked, withdrawing her hand not wrapped in Sylveon's feelers and pointed towards the door.

"Would you like to come with me today Sylveon? We're going to visit our very special friend!" Serena explained.

Sylveon was more than happy to comply, opening its mouth widely and responding in its singsong voice that Serena loved so much. "Veon!"

"Good! Then let's get going! It's a bit of a walk, but we could both use the fresh air I think." Serena slowly stood, Sylveon's feelers still loosely wrapped around her arm, and opened the door to begin the long trek to the towering tree that stood outside of the city.

It was nearly noon time as Serena approached the tree that was so lush, green, bursting with life and so incredibly large that it dwarfed even the largest of Pokemon who stood by its side. She smiled, reaching out a small hand to touch the gnarled bark, thinking back to the first time she had stood under this tree for the annual festival. The white lights that wrapped over every inch of the behemoth botanical specimen twinkled in the night sky throwing beautiful shadows that danced in front of her. He had been with her that night, and as she remembered she absentmindedly brought her hand to her chest where the thin blue ribbon he had given her that night used to sit. It came back empty.

Shaking herself out of her second reverie of the day, Serena looked down to her Pokemon. "Come on Sylveon, let's get climbing! This might take a while."

They began to climb the well-trodden path that wound its way around and up to the top of the tree that Serena knew hosted the site of the Coumarine City gym and its old but wise and kind gym leader, Ramos. As soon as she moved to Coumarine, one of her first stops was to visit Ramos and embarrassingly ask if he had remembered her; although short, their time together allowed Serena to recognize that he was a kind and gentle soul with just the right amount of spunk. She expected confusion but was instead rewarded with a warm smile and an offer for tea. Since then, she and Ramos had created a quiet friendship and their weekly time spent drinking tea and gardening together were some of Serena's most cherished moments.

Slightly huffing and puffing, Serena reached the top of the tree, taking a brief moment to put her hands on her knees to catch her breath.

"Boy, that climb never seems to get any easier does it?" Sylveon placed a feeler on Serena's back, inquiring with its eyes. Serena stood up, smiling widely. "I'm okay Sylveon, thank you! Now, where could he be?"

Serena's eyes moved across the battlefield where she had watched him get his fourth gym badge in a spectacular display of teamwork and skill, moving over to the small hut that usually housed her old friend. It was empty, and she frowned, walking across the battlefield towards the hut.

"Ramos? Are you here? It's me, Serena!" She pouted, seeing no signs of Ramos anywhere. "You know, come to think of it, I don't usually come here during the week…"

"Serena? Is that you I hear?" A muffled voice sounded off to her left and she heard a rustling of the thick vegetation that surrounded the secluded hut. The owner of the voice suddenly appeared, pushing through the last layer of bushes that lined the walkway to the hut.

"Oh, hi Tybee!" Serena brought her hand up in a wave, happy to see Ramos's gardening assistant who she had gotten to know well over the years she had lived here. "I'm sorry to show up unannounced, I know this isn't my normal day to drop by."

Tybee removed his dirt stained gloves, wiping sweat from his forehead. "It's not a problem at all Serena! Although I am a bit surprised to see you today. Shouldn't you be at work?"

"I-I should… I guess you could say I'm taking a little bit of a… vacation…" She trailed off, her face blushing fiercely.

Tybee nodded in understanding. "Really? I'm glad! You seem like you work really hard, Serena. I'm glad you've decided to stop by on your vacation then! You picked a good day, I think Marthe and Hugo are stopping by soon to have lunch. You and Sylveon are more than welcome to join!"

Serena smiled and clasped her hands together. Marthe, Tybee's wife, had just had their first child Hugo not long ago. It had been several months since she had seen him and was looking forward to see how much he had grown. "Oh if it wouldn't be too much of a bother that would be wonderful!"

"It's not a bother at all Serena. Ramos will be joining us too, you know how much he loves to break for his afternoon tea…" He trailed off, looking around. "He's around here somewhere, but to tell you the truth we've been at opposite ends of this tree all morning and I have no idea how deep in this jungle he could be now!"

Just then, a rustling to her right and the sound of hooves. A proud Gogoat pushed through the trees that created an opening to the trained eye, and sitting astride it, Ramos.

"Gogoat was trying to tell me he thought he heard your voice young lass!" Ramos exclaimed, deftly, with the agility of a man half his age, jumping down from Gogoat's tall back. The Mount Pokemon made a soft baaing sound and made its way to Sylveon and Serena, nuzzling them both. "What brings you here in the middle of the week?"

Serena explained her situation to Ramos, relaxing in his presence. It was difficult to not be relaxed in such a beautiful and lush environment, which is one of the reasons Serena loved coming here. It was nice to live next to the ocean, but even the waves hit the shoreline angrily sometimes, and rain lashed harshly on her windows. The dense forest at the top of the gargantuan tree always radiated quiet peace and isolation, catching any rainfall and creating a warm and easy environment. Serena smiled as she sat down at her usual place at the table in the center of the hut, a steaming mug already placed in front of her by Tybee, content to spend the rest of the day here and for a moment, not thinking about him.

* * *

Night had fallen fast for Ash on the second night on his boat, slowly moving across the sea. He had long since killed the engine, relying on the navigation of Wailmer to pull him to his final destination. The waves gently rocked the boat back and forth, soothing him. As the minutes and hours passed, Ash struggled to stay awake, thinking about the beautiful journey that had been spent with the Wailmer so far.

They were truly more cooperative than almost any group of Pokemon he had ever seen, rivaling the Bidoof, Ledyba, Inkay and Malamar he had seen once in a forest before. Their buddy system was flawless and inspiring, reminding Ash of the years of traveling he had done with his own companions. It was effective and they moved quickly; Ash knew that an overwhelmingly strong force pulled them through two days straight to return home. Within the past hour, however, Ash sensed a shift in their urgency, and a wake had formed behind the boat, indicating their speed had increased.

Wrapped in a blanket at the bow, Ash snuggled his face into Pikachu's fur, who had taken up again his usual place inside of Ash's jacket. Not long after the Wailmer started to swim faster, Ash released his Charizard and asked him to fly in the direction they were headed and check for land, curious to see how much farther they had to go. He had been gone for almost a half an hour now, but Ash was sure the group was moving even quicker, too.

"It can't be too much longer… We've got to be close!" Ash mumbled sleepily. He was just about to give in to the throws of sleep when a roar pierced the monotonous sound of splashing water. Ash looked up in time to see his Charizard happily speeding back towards him.

He stood up, flinging the blanket aside, gaining his second wind. "Charizard! Did you find anything?"

Charizard looped in the air with excitement, forcing Ash's gaze straight ahead. Ash squinted in the direction Charizard pointed to before finally making, a row of, albeit small and still a considerable ways away, but unmistakable lights. They were almost there! _Wherever here is_ , Ash wondered silently.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu suddenly exclaimed, awoken but Ash's sudden movements. "Pika Pi, Pi Pikachu!"

"I know buddy, we're so close! Aren't you so excited for your friends?" Ash asked him as he watched the shoreline. They were moving faster now, and the lights were starting to become more distinct now.

At that moment, a chorus of the loveliest Wailmer songs Ash had heard since beginning his observations years ago met his ears. They radiated pure happiness and it was contagious. Ash wiped hastily at the tears that formed at the corner of his eyes.

Charizard even joined in the singing, roaring his delight and skimming as close to the Wailmer as his fire typing allowed him to. "Wow Charizard, you're happy too!" Ash grabbed Charizards Pokeball and pointed it at him.

"I'm glad you're here Charizard. Thanks for all of your help," Ash said as he recalled his friend back into his Pokeball. Suddenly Wailmer 394 wriggled his body restlessly, making his way to the side of the boat, slowing down from the rest of the group. Ash knew what he wanted.

Ash bent over the railing and hastily untied the loop that had kept Wailmer tethered to them the entire journey, resting his palm once more between the eyes of the gentle Pokemon.

"Wailmer 394, it was really awesome getting to know you. Thank you so much for letting us be your buddy on the way here," Ash gulped back a lump in his throat that had formed as Pikachu sprung across Ash's arm and sat on the top of his friend. "I hope we meet again someday!"

Wailmer chorused loudly, spraying one last water gun attack at Ash, who laughed and let one tear slip down his cheek where it mingled with the salty water of the sea. Pikachu jumped back to Ash's shoulder, waving as Wailmer slipped back beneath the surface, spouting and following the rest of the group who had begun to vanish. Ash and Pikachu waved as long as they could follow their friend, who eventually disappeared into the dark waters.

It was then that Ash noticed just how close to the shore they had come, the boardwalk clearly visible from their place on the water. Quietly starting the engine, which protested in its long time of being off, he guided the boat towards the docks he could see floating, and thinned out. His eyes scanned the length of the boardwalk, trying to figure out exactly where he was. There was something familiar about the curve of the boardwalk that seemed to form a semi-circle, embracing the ocean…

Pikachu nearly fell into the water when the boat suddenly lost momentum and it was sent flying off of Ash's shoulder, unprepared for the instant loss of speed. Gripping Ash's jacket and getting ready to protest as its cheeks crackled with electricity, Pikachu stopped when it saw how pale his trainers face had become. Indeed, the color had completely drained from Ash's face as he released the wheel and stumbled to the side of the boat, gripping the railing, and leaning out as far as he possibly could without falling in.

There was no doubt he knew exactly where he was, and he was incredulous to the point of humor. After so many years of standing still, fighting back every part of him that endlessly longed to return here, to see _her_ , to fix this, to give her what she deserved when he stupidly, _so selfishly_ tore himself away from her that fateful day… kismet through a group of Wailmer had brought him back.

There was absolutely no refuting that Ash had made landfall at Coumarine City, and after years of staying silent and repressing her name, it bubbled to the surface of his lips and broke free in a breathless gasp before he could stop it.

"Serena!"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 **AN:** _Hi everyone! Thank you so much for rating, subscribing, hitting favorite and for all of the wonderful feedback. To the Guest reviewer who I can't respond directly to, thank you so much! Your words are too kind! This chapter is long, but I'm hoping it gets the set up necessary for the rest of the plot. I'm excited to see where it takes them, because I'm not even entirely sure where they're going to end up sometimes. Let me know what you think! I promise there will be some action soon, but for now, let's see what's going to happen! As always, special thanks to Epicocity who's advice and praise are everything. Cheers to you!_

* * *

The sky was a deep, inky black as Serena finally made her way back in towards Coumarine City. The thickness of the forest that rested on top of the Coumarine City gym allowed a thin amount of sunlight through its natural roof, and as a result, it was usually difficult to tell the speed with which time passed. Serena had an inkling that Ramos set this up on purpose, but she was not about to complain. As Sylveon's feelers wrapped around her arm and intertwined with her relaxed fingers, Serena wore a complacent smile as she thought about the long but happy day she had spent trimming flowers, cutting back overgrown bushes and laughing over tea with her friends.

"You know, Sylveon, I could get used to the whole not working thing again!" The ground changed beneath her feet from springy soil to concrete as she finally arrived back on the boardwalk. Her bungalow sat towards the very far end, and she knew she didn't have much more to walk. "Thanks for being with me today, Sylveon! I hope you had just as much fun as I did."

Sylveon wrapped its feelers up as far up Serena's arm as it possibly could. "Syl!"

Serena laughed, and was about to make the turn towards the front walkway of her small, dark bungalow before Sylveon stopped in its tracks. "Sylveon? What's up?"

Sylveon unraveled its feelers from Serena's arm and directed its gaze towards the calm dark waters. The grandiose light posts that lined the edge of the boardwalk before it dropped down to the water were usually the only source of light at this hour, but as Serena followed Sylveon's gaze, she noticed an unusual twinkling gliding across the surface of the water, coming straight towards the docks she was standing above.

Immediately her teeth began to chatter, beads of sweat building on her brow. She nervously brought her hand to mouth, breathless. She knew a ghost type Pokemon when she saw one and she was not particularly warm to their antics. "I-is that a Pokemon?!"

Sylveon seemed frustrated and pointed directly at the light again as it moved closer, once more forcing Serena to look. "Syl! Sylveon, ve!"

Serena looked at her distressed Pokemon in confusion, but resigned, checked again. It was only then that she heard the breaks in the water, the low purr of an engine and the faint outline of a modest fishing boat.

"Oh! A boat! I wonder if they're okay, it's not safe to be out on the water this time of night." Serena looked down at her Pokemon, grateful she was finally able to understand. "Good work, Sylveon. Come on; let's go make sure they're okay!"

Serena and Sylveon started running quickly towards the nearest set of stairs that would bring them down to the level of the abundant floating docks situated in the shallows of Coumarine. As she hurried breathlessly, her quick footsteps echoing in the still night, she watched as the boat suddenly turned to the right and began to move farther away from her.

Serena began wildly waving her arms, gasping as she ran, the diffuse yellow light guiding her footfalls. "Hey! Hey, over here!"

The person navigating the boat seemingly was unable to hear her over the water and engine, continuing its travel towards the far end of the boardwalk. Serena slowed to a jog, huffing and pouting, looking down at her Sylveon. "Where do you think they're going?"

Sylveon's feelers swept a couple blocks away towards the only brightly lit building in a line of dimmed, closed ones. "Syl!"

Serena's flushed cheeks turned upwards as she registered Sylveon's idea. "Of course! The Pokemon Center! Let's go!"

Serena could see the boat found an empty space to dock and could just make out a shadow making quick work of anchoring it securely before hopping out deftly, turning towards the set of stairs that led up from the dock towards the boardwalk. Serena smiled, knowing she would be able to get their attention as soon as they could be seen on the boardwalk.

Just as she was about to open her mouth and shout another greeting, to once again ask if they were okay, Serena felt her heart leap into her throat and her stomach plummet so far down she was sure there was an empty space where it just was. Moving as quickly as she has ever moved in her life, Serena flung her body behind a building merely feet from the Pokemon Center and from the disturbingly familiar person who had just revealed himself.

Sylveon, ever faithful, had followed Serena into the shadows behind the side of the building, its feelers wildly trying to calm its clearly distressed trainer. Serena was breathless, her hands working at the hem of her black jacket, her mind racing with processing what she thought she just saw.

Two black tipped, long yellow ears attached to chubby red cheeks and a lightning bolt shaped tail riding on the shoulders of a dark haired trainer in a dark jacket, complete with a bright red hat. She could have sworn that Ash Ketchum – _Ash freaking Ketchum_ – was standing approximately twenty feet away from her, completely oblivious to the absolute wreck that she had become in seconds.

 _Okay Serena, just breathe; you're probably just imagining things._ She thought, as unusual but comforting warmth spread throughout her body, beginning in the tips of her fingers. _Unless he has a secret twin brother he neglected to tell me about –_ she paused, huffing _– with an identical Pikachu, I swear that was him._ She briefly registered Sylveon's feelers working feverishly and curled her fingers around the nearest one in thanks.

 _Stop being a giant baby, Serena, you're twenty-three years old now for goodness sakes! Afraid of some dumb boy… I guess, not just any dumb boy._

Taking a deep breath, Serena slowly crept to the edge of the building she had hid behind and carefully peaked around.

Her eyes zeroed in on a pair of red and black sneakers before slowly traveling upwards where she noticed his well-toned arms, much larger than the last time she saw them and blushed heavily. _Stop it, Serena!_ There was Pikachu, currently receiving an Oran Berry from his raven haired trainer. Serena's gaze was held on his face, incredulous. It was really him, but what on Earth was he doing in Coumarine City?

Before she could control herself, his name, as sweet as honey and as bitter as a cup of black coffee slid quietly between her lips: "Ash…"

His head snapped in her direction, and Serena barely managed to withdraw herself back behind the wall, pressing herself as flat into the cold stone as she possibly could.

 _Please tell me he didn't just see me!_ She looked around for her Sylveon, who was now extremely concerned with her trainers actions. Serena put a finger to her lips, her heart threatening to burst through her chest, silently imploring her Sylveon to keep quiet.

Then, his voice rang out, crystal clear, unchanged, sending tremors down her spine, "Did you hear something, buddy?"

"Pika?" Pikachu's response was muffled between bites of his Oran Berry, and Serena hoped it was too preoccupied to have heard her as well.

In the short silence that ensued, she could practically hear Ash's decision making before his footsteps, turning away, fell on her ears. "Oh well, I guess I'm pretty tired. We better try reaching the professor from the Pokemon Center before we do anything else."

"Pi Pikachu!"

Feeling safe from his remarkable senses, Serena brought her body around the side of the building, her heart beat slowing and her initial shock worn off, replaced by confusion and surprisingly, amusement. _This timing was just too perfect,_ she thought, inching forward. Sylveon crept slowly towards her, looking up at its trainer. Serena's hands, which had been so busy worrying at the hem of her jacket moments ago, had relaxed at her sides; she leaned heavily on her left hip, her right foot relaxed on her toes, her ankle rotating in small, busy circles.

"Sylveon that was Ash…"she whispered, looking at her Intertwining Pokemon quizzically. "I haven't seen him in… well… years…"

Sylveon looked concerned, feeling Serena's mood shift towards melancholy. "Sylveon…"

"What is he doing here? Shouldn't he be in Hoenn?" Serena took a hesitant step towards the Pokemon Center, where he had just entered. "You saw him too, right? I'm not just seeing things?"

"Sylveon!" Sylveon replied, nodding its graceful head.

Serena's eyes shimmered in the diffuse light of the clouded lamp posts. "Why didn't he tell me he was coming?"

Without thinking, she autonomously placed one foot in front of the other, her Sylveon following softly, offering support through its ribbon like feelers. _What am I doing? I should be running in the exact opposite direction!_

 _Stop that, you're adults now. You can be mature about this._

Serena took one more deep breath, letting her legs carry her to the sliding doors of the Pokemon Center before she was at the center of them; opening automatically at her presence, the breeze from the doors blew her long, honey blonde hair off of her shoulders, and she was met with the back of Ash's messy haired head, her breath leaving her lungs as she took one step into the lobby and stared wordlessly, in silence.

* * *

Ash's legs had felt like they were still moving as he walked up the steps from the dock where he had left his boat. Struggling to move in a straight line, he finally reached the top of the steps, coming face to face with the welcoming sight of the Coumarine Pokemon Center. He smiled, remembering when he had first come here with Clemont, Bonnie and… her; preparing for the festival had been an exciting day for everyone, Ash included, as he remembered handing over the small box containing the blue ribbon under the Pledging Tree. For her, to make her happy; he would have done anything to make her happy back then.

 _Who are you kidding? You're nothing but selfish._

"Pika?" Pikachu tapped Ash's shoulder, rubbing his stomach. "Piiiiiika…"

Ash smiled and wordlessly fished an Oran Berry out of his pocket, holding it over his shoulder for Pikachu to take, watching him contentedly before a moment, just a quick moment, of air passed by him and he could have sworn he heard someone whisper his name.

He snapped his head sharply in the direction he thought it had come from, tilting his head and holding his breath for another sound. "Did you hear something, buddy?"

Pikachu was currently halfway through his Oran Berry and could not be bothered, but responded between mouthfuls. "Pika?"

Ash stared at a building not twenty feet away from him, sure he had seen something move in the shadows. Internally debating whether or not to check, he suddenly felt the weight of exhaustion settle over him and thought better of it, deciding instead to attempt to contact the professor.

Shrugging, Ash began to move towards the brightly lit Pokemon Center. "Oh well, I guess I'm pretty tired. We better try reaching the professor from the Pokemon Center before we do anything else."

"Pi Pikachu!" Pikachu agreed, happily finishing the last bite of his berry.

The automatic glass doors slid open to him, the breeze from the movement rustling his already windswept hair. The first thing he noticed was that Nurse Joy was not at the desk, and neither was her Wigglytuff. Unsurprised because of the lateness of the hour, Ash made his way past the desk and towards the phone, deciding he would make the call first before attempting to find her. Silently hoping the Professor would still be up, Ash dialed in the number and waited, expecting several rings before any type of answer but was instead greeted with a nightgown clad professor after barely one ring.

"Ash? Is that you?" The professor asked, unnecessarily. Upon seeing Ash's face, the professor broke into a wide smile. "Hello! I was expecting your phone call tonight!"

Ash smiled widely, his hand grabbing the brim of his hat before sliding to the back of his head stretching and suppressing a yawn. "Hey professor! Greetings from Coumarine City!"

"I knew it! I knew they'd bring you there!" The professor jumped up happily. "Thank you very much Ash for confirming my hypothesis. Another time, I'd like to hear all about the journey you took together but for now, I can see the dark circles under your eyes from all the way over here – without a camera!"

Ash's face flushed red in embarrassment. He hadn't even thought to check a mirror but he was sure he looked – and smelled – like he had been out on the ocean for two days. "Yeah I guess I am a bit tired, professor. I tried to take great notes, it was an amazing experience! I'll send those to you as soon as I can."

"Not a problem, not a problem. I'm looking forward to it! Keep in touch Ash, get some rest, and most of all, enjoy yourself!" The professor waved goodbye and hung up before Ash could even respond.

Left standing dumbfounded, Ash held the now dead receiver in his hand. "Gee Pikachu, I guess the professor was a little big eager to get to bed too, huh?"

Ash turned to his partner, who should have been on his shoulder, but instead was gone. Confused, Ash turned, calling out his name.

"Pikachu where – ?"

"Pika pi! Pika pi! Pika pi!" Ash spun and saw his partner dancing on excited feet, bouncing from one foot to another, pointing incessantly up at a figure that stood just inside the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

Ash could feel the color drain from his face, again. In his rapidly beating heart, he knew exactly who those brown, tall boots belonged to, but he wasn't expecting to see her so soon, or to come face to face with his biggest regret so quickly. Even though Ash knew with one hundred percent certainty who this was, standing so beautifully and gracefully in front of him, his eyes made their way up from the floor, to her tall brown boots, to the dark blue jeans thatclung perfectly to her legs, to the black jacket that was zipped to her chin. He ended on her lovely face; her wide blue eyes staring at him, hands brought up in surrender by her chin, an uncertain smile playing at one corner of her lips, her hair, longer and just as beautiful flung over her shoulder. Ash at that moment had decided he had never seen anyone quite so radiant.

"Hello," she muttered, so quietly, aimed at his feet that he could barely hear it. But he did, her singsong voice, the one he thought he would never _deserve_ to hear again, sent a shiver up his spine.

Judging from Serena's restricted body language, Ash knew it wasn't the reunion either of them was expecting. If Ash could have had it his way, it would have been certainly much less awkward, because at the present, he couldn't form his mouth into words. He simply stared at her, his mouth opening and closing like a landlocked Magikarp.

Serena's face was crimson, her cheeks puffing in embarrassment at Ash's reaction. "I-I can… I'll just… I'll g-go…" She whispered, taking a hesitant step backwards.

"No, please, don't." Ash sprung forward, reaching a useless hand out to her, as though he could touch her from ten feet away. He let it fall limply to his side, her name finally slicing through him for the second time that night. "Serena…"

Pikachu at that moment noticed a cautious Sylveon peering out from behind her trainers legs. The Electric Mouse Pokemon jumped up happily at the same time that Sylveon realized who it was and the two met joyfully, with Sylveon's feelers winding through Pikachu's tall ears.

"Pika! Pikachu!"

"Syl, syl Sylveooooooon!" Sylveon's voice was drawn out into one note, its fur shimmering with excitement at seeing its old friend.

Serena chuckled, stepping aside to watch the reunion. "Well, Sylveon is happy to see you, Pikachu."

Ash had taken a small step forward, drawn into her like a magnet. A very, very strong magnet. "Serena… I wanted to tell you, but it all happened so fast, and I didn't even know I would end up here, I – !"

Serena grabbed her hair in her fists, wringing it out nervously, "It's okay Ash."

 _No, it wasn't_ , Ash's thoughts intruded, his voice staying silent.

Awkward silence, again. Ash felt the heat rise to his cheeks and began scratching the back of his head again, nervously. Serena smiled at this familiar tick.

"I'll admit I'm really surprised to see you, Ash. I, well, Sylveon, saw your boat coming in. We thought you were a traveller who was lost or in trouble. But when I saw it was you… I sort of…"

"Panicked," they finished together, making quick eye contact before directing both of their gazes back down.

Another moment of silence, before Ash spoke up, "Look, Serena, I'm really…"

Serena brought her hands to her face, waving them rapidly, an indication to stop. "Ash, really, we can talk more soon, I…" She trailed off, contemplating her next words carefully. "That is, assuming you'll be here in the morning…"

Ash smarted at this comment, offended. Of course, she had every right to question him, seeing as the last time he saw her was when he left uncharacteristically and without warning. Sighing, Ash let his nervously scratching hand drop from behind his head, limp at his side. "I'll be here tomorrow, Serena, I promise."

Serena nodded before taking a slow step towards him, almost asking for permission. "Well, okay then."

"Right…" Ash nodded as well, fiddling with a string that had come loose from the wristband of his jacket. "Do you…?"

"Do you have somewhere to stay?" Serena blurted out, covering her mouth with surprised hands. _Where the hell did that come from?_

Ash tilted his head, taken aback. "I… I suppose I don't but I have my tent and I can always stay at the Pokemon Center once I find Nurse Joy…" Ash's stomach flipped, instinctively knowing what would come next; he wanted her to say it so badly but at the same time, hoped she never would.

"Would… would you like to stay with me?" Serena finally asked, quietly and with courage. "It's not much, but it'll be warm, and it's really only a five minute walk from here…"

Pikachu and Sylveon, who had been joyfully getting reacquainted with one another, jumped up at the prospect of spending more time together. Ash however, blushed furiously. He noted to himself that if this was a contest for who could blush harder in terribly awkward reunions, he knew him and Serena would be neck-in-neck.

"That's really nice of you, S-Serena…" Ash took a few more steps towards her so that they were within arms' reach of each other. He wanted to reach out and touch her, to know that this was real. "That is, if it wouldn't be too much trouble for you."

Serena smiled so sweetly Ash felt like his face melted. "I would… I would l-love it if you would stay with me."

Ash looked at his Pikachu, wrapped in an embrace from Sylveon's feelers. "What do you say, buddy?"

"Pika! Pika!" Sylveon lifted Pikachu from the ground and gently placed him on its own back, already beginning to walk through the doors of the Pokemon Center.

Another moment of awkward silence as Ash and Serena took turns looking at each other's shuffling feet. Finally, after several seconds, Serena spoke up, taking a step backwards.

"Well, I guess my place is this way…"

Serena led, two paces in front, as Ash took a moment to exhale heavily, a bead of sweat dripping down his forehead. He hardened his nerve, and took his first steps after her. Outside, their footsteps were the only sounds that broke the ceaseless waves that broke against the dark shore. Ash allowed his eyes to travel impishly in front of him, following the infinite flow of her honey-blonde hair, tinted delicately silver from the moonlight. Breathless, he noticed the gentle sway back and forth from her walk, the tip of her long hair curving beautifully upwards in a perfect wave near her waist…

Ash shut his eyes before they could move any further and clenched his fists, focusing. _Selfish, so incredibly selfish._

"Well… Here we are!" Serena said, her cheeks tinted a lovely magenta but her voice sounded stronger and more confident. She could feel that she was still surprised and incredibly caught off guard, but underneath, the most powerful and primal feeling was joy. As angry as she had been at him, confused with his actions when he left her so oddly and out of character, she first and foremost _missed_ him. Seeing him in front of her, close enough to touch, to reach out to, had her fighting back physical joy. Years of talking to him several times a week were not enough, not enough for answers and unfinished business, and here he was.

Ash looked up towards the small, but neat bungalow that stood before him. In the darkness, he could make out a cherry red front door at the end of a sandy walkway, where Sylveon with Pikachu on its back already stood, waiting patiently for their trainers to let them in. No lights were on inside, but a fuzzy, cozy feeling radiated from it. Although still uncomfortable, Ash was boosted by the confidence in Serena's voice. "It looks awesome, Serena."

"Thanks! It's not much, but its home! Let's go inside, I'm sure you're exhausted." Serena didn't bother with keys, and had evidently left the door unlocked. She shrugged as she flung open the door, letting Sylveon and Pikachu run in first. "Not much happens around here."

Flipping on the light, Serena stepped aside to let Ash take in the small seaside bungalow. He was right, it was cozy. He immediately noticed it smelled heavenly inside; a wonderful scent of vanilla and green tea with the slightest hint of lavender, which instantly made him sleepy. It was a scent he had smelled many times over the long, amazing months of traveling with her, the soothing scent that wafted off of her every time her hair was still wet from a shower. He then immediately became self-conscious that he most likely smelled like salt and a wet Furfrou.

"It's really great, Serena…" He said, eyeing the large couch with the red fleece blanket draped over the back of it. His eyelids felt heavy and the smell of Serena all around him was pushing him to his limits.

"Ash you look exhausted!" Serena said worriedly, her hand hovering above his shoulder. She was keener on the realization that yes, she was very happy to see him, but she wasn't quite there yet. "You should really lie down, I'll go get you a pillow and blanket."

"Serena I hate to ask you this but, could I please shower?" Ash's face was bright red now.

Serena smiled, almost laughing. "Oh Ash I'm so sorry, I didn't even think about that. Of course, let me show you the bathroom."

In the living room, Pikachu and Sylveon were now communicating in their own language, apparently deep in conversation.

Serena walked him through the small but tidy kitchen to a door at the end of the hall. She once again flipped on the light, pushing the door open wider. "Uhm, there's towels in the closet behind the door, please use any you'd like…"

They realized that in their haste to both get to the door, they were dangerously close to touching and both withdrew, Ash retreating inside the bathroom and behind the door, Serena jumping back out into the hall. "Uh… thank you, Serena." Ash muttered before quickly closing the door. On opposite sides, both Ash and Serena leaned their backs against the door, exhaling heavily.

* * *

The warm water had made Ash feel incredible, and the vanilla and green tea scent had been, if possible, even stronger inside the bathroom. But after showering and dressing in sweatpants and a black tank top, Ash emerged to find Serena cross legged on the floor of her kitchen in pink shorts and a pale yellow sweatshirt, her hair in a loose bun that pulled it off of her shoulders. Surrounding her were Sylveon, Pikachu, Pancham and not to Ash's surprise, a tall and magnificent Delphox. She was laughing and held a Sitrus Berry over her head as Pancham was jumping and missing the berry she dangled in front of him.

"I'm sorry Pancham, you're too adorable! Here you go!" She lowered the berry and Pancham grabbed it happily, while Delphox, Pikachu and Sylveon all laughed at him. Pancham stuck his tongue out at the offending Pokemon and took a large, crunchy bite out of the Sitrus Berry. Delphox noticed him staring sheepishly from the hallway and made an excited noise which alerted Serena. Her eyes followed drops of water from the tips of his dark hair that rolled down his shoulders; she could make out the muscle definition that had not been there so prominently before and gulped, saving herself a blush.

"Do you feel better, Ash?"

Ash nodded, striding into the kitchen where Pikachu jumped onto his shoulder happily. "Much. Thanks Serena, you really didn't have to do this… Especially since…"

"You must be exhausted." Serena cut him off fairly quickly. She was just realizing how happy she was to see Ash; she didn't want the moment ruined by a conversation that was years too late.

Ash stretched, once again scratching the back of his head. "You bet. It's been a long couple of days."

Serena stood, her small horde of Pokemon following her towards the couch. "Like I said, it's not much, but I promise you'll be warm."

Ash looked over the side of the couch and was touched instantly; she had made up a makeshift bed with what looked like a very fluffy pillow complete with the red fleece he had seen draped over the side as he walked in. He could barely hold back his heavy eyelids anymore. "This is so perfect, Serena." He looked up at her, begging her to see the double meaning behind his words. He was too conflicted with emotions to say it any clearler.

Serena was not fooled, and her cheeks flushed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night. Hesitantly, oh so hesitantly, she reached her hand out to touch the top of his arm. It felt like a whisper on his skin and as warm as a ray of sun. "I've missed you, Ash."

Ash stared at her hand, unsure of what to do next. He wanted to say so many things back. He wanted to tell her about all of the messages he had typed and deleted to her, too cowardly to send them. He wanted to tell her about all the times he wanted to leave Lilycove City, to come see her again, to travel with her and Bonnie and Clemont for months on end, to see the world with them again, but most importantly her. He wanted to tell her he was so sorry, and that he was selfish That Day when he left her, that it had been wrong of him.

Instead, he looked back at her, his words catching in his throat, and out tumbled another mistake. "Goodnight, Serena."

Immediately, she withdrew her hand, and Ash could sense the hurt and surprise from her, palpable. Ash was disappointed and confused. If he had so much to say, why couldn't he say it?

 _What on Earth are you afraid of, Ash Ketchum?_ Serena thought, flinching away from him, confused. _I don't think I'll ever figure you out._

She recovered quickly, and smiled crookedly, turning and waving. Her obedient companions followed her into her bedroom where she took one last look at him before closing the door.

"I'll see you in the morning, Ash."

Ash's lips parted slightly as he watched the door shut slowly and silently, her soothing scent still heavy in the air. Suddenly, his fists clenched and frustrated, he threw himself onto the couch.

That goodnight had sounded just as bad as his last goodbye.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 **AN:** _Thank you so much to everyone again! I'm really loving this story, and loving that you guys like it so much too! I wanted to get this chapter out because it's been forming around in my brain the past couple of days, and now that is almost 2am, I feel way accomplished! I originally wasn't intending to have much or any battling in this, as I wanted to just express how I thought it would be cool for Ash and Serena to reunite, but I decided to throw a bit in this chapter to try my hand at it. Let me know what you think! Also, I'm sorry if the suspense if making anyone unhappy – well, read ahead! Thank you so much again for all of the support, especially my faithful reviewers, you guys know who you are! Special thanks to Epicocity who has become a real confidant for me. Go read Love in the Time of Teamwork if you haven't already! Anyway, cheers to you!_

* * *

The sun made a late appearance that morning; with the days getting cooler, they also grew shorter. The rays dimmed by thick grey clouds broke through Serena's window, curtains thrown open, where they cast their light onto her face, her eyes wide open. She had been awake nearly an hour staring at the same spot on her ceiling as she has done every other day.

Only this day was different; this day, she wasn't lying with her tablet resting on her chest, the screen casting an unnatural glow to the corners of the room. There was no message that she had opened to read over and over again, willing them to come off of the page so that she could hear his voice again. Ash was here, in Coumarine City, _in her living room, on her couch_.

She sighed dramatically and flung her right wrist over her forehead, her left hand stroking her messy tresses absentmindedly. _That really happened, right?_

Unable to wait any longer, Serena slipped the covers off of her legs, stepping her bare feet down onto the cool wooden floor and made the couple of steps to her closed bedroom door. She slowly grabbed the weathered door handle and turned, wincing as she did so. The door was thankfully silent as she gently cracked it open, poking her head out.

There he was, one leg hanging haphazardly out from underneath the red fleece blanket, dangling close to the ground. His left hand was held behind his back, while his hair was every which way having been slept on slightly wet. His mouth was slightly agape, snoring lightly and Serena felt her heart leap as she watched him. Pikachu had curled itself up on the top of the couch, a much more graceful sleeper than his trainer and she suppressed a giggle. Serena noticed his tall and burly frame barely fit and felt a bit guilty, but there was something about him sound asleep, so vulnerable and passive that she almost forgot how they had said goodnight.

" _Goodnight, Serena."_

She stared at him with wide unblinking eyes, letting the fresh hurt and confusion she had felt then seep into her. They had sounded so cold and calculating that Serena was sure they were exactly that – calculated. They didn't sound like what Ash wanted to say to her, but she had so much trouble reading into his dense thoughts as always. Serena had almost let it roll off of her last night but this morning after sleeping on it, she realized it only crushed the self-confidence she thought she had gained.

Retreating back to her room, she let the door be as to not wake him with its click and walked to her window, observing the diminished sunrise and thinking deeply. She felt as though the initial shock had worn off of him being here – if she was honest with herself, she knew in her heart of hearts she would see him again eventually, but admittedly not in such a surprising fashion. She still had so many questions for him, but as she thought about confronting him about any of it her body suddenly felt like it was lightly vibrating and her hands shook, stomach plummeting again.

Serena sighed heavily, blowing her unkempt hair away from her eyes. She leaned over to her window and slid it open, sticking out her hand. The air felt even chillier than the day before and she shivered, snapping it shut quickly. Moving back towards her dresser, she pulled out a pair of dark blue jeans and a simple long sleeved white thermal shirt, throwing a tie-dye scarf around her neck. Completing the outfit with a pair of long fuzzy pink socks, she made her way back out of her bedroom as quietly as she could to tiptoe into her kitchen.

It was nearly seven in the morning as she filled her kettle with water and lit the stove. She stood back, watching it carefully for the earliest signs of boiling, occasionally throwing a glance towards Ash. His deep and heavy breathing made her feel peaceful and she was lulled into a soft flashback. A warm moonlit night sitting quietly with Braixen, Pancham and Sylveon when his footsteps heralded his arrival; she had blushed when she saw him in his tank top and shorts. His words echoed back to her now as clear as they ever had been.

" _I feel unsure sometimes too."_ He stood, running quickly down the steps before her, throwing his arms to the sky. _"But you see, if you have time to feel unsure, you should just try making a move."_

"Making a move…" she whispered to herself. _I need to make a move with Ash, but what kind of move do I make here?_ Her hands balled into fists to still the nerves. _What could I possibly say to him?!_

HISSSSSSSSSSS!

Her daydreaming had become involved and as a result she had lost focus on her kettle as it whistled. Racing to the stove she yanked it off, cursing herself that she had let this happen two mornings in a row.

"Please don't wake up, please don't wake up…" Serena held the handle of the kettle gingerly in her hands, slowly turning her head to the couch. Neither Pikachu nor Ash had moved an inch. She nearly dropped to the floor in relief.

"Yep, that's Ash alright."

Serena made herself a cup of tea, letting the mug warm her hands and bringing it close to her face. She closed her eyes as the steam hit her cheeks, the scent sweet and inviting. Opening her eyes, she padded over to the large chair that faced the couch and curled herself into it, her feet neatly tucked under her. She sipped her tea and let the little sunlight that peaked through the clouds warm her body as she watched Ash's chest rising and falling.

She wanted answers from him. What was he doing in Coumarine, and where was he going? More importantly, when was he leaving?

Was he going to leave her again?

Serena instantly felt the strange vibration feeling she had felt that morning and her mug was unsteady in her hands. She realized suddenly what it was – fear. She was afraid that Ash would leave her again, like he did before, without explanation or cause. She understood the pain of defeat all too well, chopping off inches of her hair after her first performance loss, but she was so fueled by her feelings and the never give up attitude she had adopted from him that she carried on. Was she not enough for him to carry on?

His leaving had sent her into a spiral, one that had her turn down the tempting offer from Palermo. She loved the stage and performing with her Pokemon more than anything, but with Ash gone, she couldn't bring herself back there, to any stage, to perform knowing his support was no longer with her. It's part of what brought her here, to Juliette, to Coumarine City and she found herself wondering if that was all a part of some bigger plan to have her here when Ash arrived.

Her fear gripped at her, and suddenly the tea tasted like coal in her mouth, the sweet scent turning sour. She leapt from her chair, tearing her eyes away from Ash's sleeping form and sprinted to her kitchen, her hands shaking as she brought out a box of croissants she had taken home from her favorite bakery not two days ago and set them out on her kitchen table.

Serena suddenly felt like she needed to leave before he woke up, unable to face him, to hear that he was leaving her again. She would rather have her questions go unanswered than have to once more say goodbye to him; she was sure it would destroy her.

Jotting down a note on the top of the box telling Ash to help himself, Serena yanked her boots on her feet, grabbed her black bag full of her grooming tools and flew unceremoniously out her front door, not even bothering to stop it as it slammed shut.

* * *

Ash woke with a start and sat up quickly, turning to find what had caused the banging sound that had pulled him out of his dream involving blonde hair and blue eyes as deep as the sea… when the turning motion propelled him off of the couch and straight to the floor, tangled in the warm red fleece.

"Pika pika pika chuuuu!" Pikachu had woken up to Ash rather ungracefully falling off of the couch and was now a fit of laughter at the sight of his trainer.

Ash narrowed his eyes at his small yellow Pokemon and huffed. "You better watch out or you'll end up on the floor too."

Pikachu sighed and wiped at the tears streaming from his eyes before stretching and shaking from black tip of his long hear to his bolt shaped tail. "Chaaaaa!"

Ash smiled at this sight and joined him in the stretch, luxuriating in how long he had slept. He noticed it was light out, albeit dim, through the sliding glass door that connected to Serena's living room and was content.

"Gee Pikachu, I can't remember the last time we woke up to the sun already up in the middle of a week." Ash sat up, ruffling his hair. He breathed in deeply before yawning and when he did, there was that scent again, first thing in the morning, which immediately sent a shock to his system.

 _He was at Serena's house, in her living room, on her couch… well, was on her couch_. Ash was still in disbelief that of all the places Wailmer could have led him to, across Sinnoh, Unova, Hoenn… it had to be Coumarine City in Kalos where she lived. It had to be some type of joke the universe was trying to play on him.

"I suppose that's what I get for running away from my problems for so long…" Ash said his last thought out loud, gaining an accusatory stare from Pikachu.

"Pi Pikachu…" Pikachu had crossed its tiny arms, pointing its tail at Serena's closed bedroom door. "Pipika!"

Ash had never felt so attacked by his best buddy, not even when they had first met and all Pikachu could do was send ill-fated Thundershocks at his unsuspecting body. "What are you talking about? I didn't hurt anyone's feelings!"

"Pikachu…" Pikachu put his face in his tiny paw. "Pika, Pikachu pikapi!"

Ash was bitter that Pikachu seemed to know more about Ash's feelings than Ash did, but had to admit that Pikachu was right. The calm words he had spoken to her when her hand fell unsuspectingly on his arm was not what he wanted to say, and he owed it to her to tell her all of the answers he was sure she was expecting from him. For one, she graciously allowed him into her home after years of conversation over a tablet that barely scratched the surface of what their relationship really was, what it had evolved into, without any questions. He felt underneath the befuddlement about his feelings and desire to fix what he had started was pure happiness at seeing her. There was no one else who he had met on his years of traveling the world that had made him feel quite as happy and warm as Serena did, and he was no stranger to this feeling when he first set his eyes on her last night.

"I guess I'm not the best at talking about these kind of things am I buddy?" Ash stood up, letting the blanket fall off his waist to the floor. "What do you think woke us up anyway?"

Pikachu stared back at Ash with a vacant look in his eyes, indicating clearly that he had just as good of an idea as Ash did. "Some help you are."

Ash suddenly felt his stomach grumble and doubled over dramatically clutching at it. "Ahhh I'm so hungry…" Knowing perfectly well he shouldn't be snooping through Serena's kitchen, Ash made his way over anyway where he found a petite white box sitting invitingly on the kitchen table. His mouth watered as he looked at it and upon closer inspection noticed familiar handwriting.

 _Good morning Ash,_

 _If memory serves me correctly, I'm sure you'll be hungry as soon as you wake up! Please help yourself to anything inside this box. If you need me, I'll be working at the shop down at the opposite end of the boardwalk._

 _XO, Serena_

Ash let his eyes linger over the beautifully written "XO," curvy and whimsical, and felt a shiver go up his spine when he thought about their real meanings – hugs and kisses. He shook it off, silently casting his eyes downward knowing he was going to have to deal with this sooner rather than later.

"Guess Serena went to work, buddy." Ash opened the box gingerly and sighed longingly at the golden brown croissants arranged perfectly inside the box. "She did say help yourself…"

In nearly one bite, Ash inhaled one croissant and felt immediately satisfied until Pikachu jumped on top of his head and looked at his trainer angrily upside down. "Pikapi!"

Ash grinned sheepishly. "Whoops, guess you want one too. Here you go buddy."

Ash reached into the box and gave Pikachu his own pastry and stared through the kitchen window that overlooked the side of the house. Just visible in one corner were the calm waters of Coumarine and Ash wondered briefly if the Wailmer were still nearby or had gone on to travel down the coast. It was truly meant to be that Serena saw him coming in and found him, caring for his exhausted body. His thoughts went back to another time Serena took such ginger care of him when he had come down with a fever after a long night of training in the nearby stream. In the moments where he was close to sleep but still conscious to the world, he could just feel her cool hands against his flaming skin and at those times he tried desperately to capture that.

Ash had no real plans for when he would leave the Wailmer. He thought he would travel and collect more badges at the next place he could, showing off his honed skills and try to finally win a league, to fulfill his dream of becoming a Pokemon Master, and he thinks he will. But for now, something strong and primal held Ash rooted to Coumarine, and he had a very good idea it had everything to do with his confusing feelings for Serena.

"Oh well buddy, guess there's not much to do with Serena on the job." Ash walked back towards his backpack leaning against the back of the couch and pulled out his head, jamming it on his head. "Let's go do some training!"

* * *

The first thing Serena noticed when she left her house so haphazardly were the raindrops. Upon closer inspection of the sky, the sun was mostly obscured by thick and grey clouds that were moving in at a clip, and by the days end, Serena was sure there would be a very nasty storm upon them. Serena groaned, clutching her arms to her chest, cursing her emotions and the dim-wittedness to not bring any type of jacket. She brought the scarf over her face and breathed hot air into the warm, soft material, trying to contain the warmth around her face.

"Oh, Juliette is going to kill me," Serena said as she marched past the scarce amount of people out for a stroll this early on this type of day. "I can't face him, not yet."

As she approached the shop, she silently hoped Juliette was running late and that she would be the first one there. Luck was only on her side for so long; she was right out front now and could see through the window that Saira was at the front desk, flipping through files and organizing the day's appointments.

"This is not going to be good." Serena said, steeling her resolve.

She puffed out her chest to give off any aura of confidence she could muster, thinking to herself that should could work when she wanted to work, thank you very much. Grabbing the door handle, she pulled the door hard and heard the bells above tinkling and announcing her arrival.

Saira looked up from her papers with a furrowed brow before noticing it was Serena and giving her a warm, yet confused smile. "Serena! I wasn't expecting you today; it's hardly been two days!"

Serena walked past her, cheeks blazing red and set her grooming bag down behind the front desk, looking pointedly away from Saira. "Well, I must have gotten the dates confused," she replied innocently.

From the corner of her eye, Serena could see Saira turn towards her, her hands on her hips. "Okay Serena, I was born at night but not last night."

Serena refused to look at her, biting down hard on her lip.

"Serena, don't insult my intelligence like this!" Saira glared at her, her foot tapping wildly. "We meant it when we said don't come back for one week young lady!"

Serena couldn't contain herself any longer and grabbed the front of Saira's shirt, tears streaming down her face. "Please don't tell Juliette I'm here! I'll do anything, I'll groom all of the worst behaved Pokemon and mop the floors for a whole year!"

Saira, shocked, grabbed Serena's hand and held them in her own. "What are you talking about, Serena?!"

"Alright I'll tell you'll just get it out of me," Serena let out a breath. "He's here. He's in Coumarine. He's SLEEPING ON MY COUCH!"

Saira took a very dramatic breath in, gasping. "NO!"

Serena only nodded, throwing her body into the chair that sat behind the tall front desk. "Mhmm. He came in last night, unannounced, on a boat. Sylveon saw the boat coming in and we thought it was someone who was lost, someone who was in trouble."

Saira leaned against the wall where framed pictures of the three of them were scattered. "Go on."

"And then we got closer, and he made his way off the boat and it was him!"

Saira followed up with the obvious question. "Well what is he doing in Coumarine City?"

Serena looked embarrassed, but answered honestly. "I have no idea!"

Saira smacked her forehead with her open palm several times. "You're telling me you let the dense kid you've been head over heels for - !"

"Stop it, Saira!"

"For years, into your home without even asking how or why he was here?" Saira covered her mouth to hide the laughter that was threatening to bubble over. "Girlfriend, you have got it so bad."

Serena groaned and wiped her hands down her face, feeling her skin stretch. "I left and came here this morning because I woke up feeling terrified of facing him. I… I wasn't quite ready to hear what he had to say."

Saira placed a hand on Serena's shoulder, growing gentle. "Serena, you've been waiting for so many years to find out what he has to say. Why are you afraid of that now?"

Serena looked up at her with shimmering eyes. "I was afraid he was going to say goodbye."

Saira enveloped her in a one armed hug, not saying anything else. She was nearly the opposite in personality as Juliette; down to Earth, relied on directions from maps and not tarot cards, and didn't even know her star sign. However, the one thing she did have in common with her partner was the ability to sense emotions well, and Serena appreciated the silent comfort.

"Well, I won't tell you that you'll have to face the music eventually, because you will." Saira said, separating from her and returning back to the filing she had been doing before Serena made her entrance. "But I also won't keep you from staying here. The truth is you came in on a good day. We only have a few appointments that don't start until the afternoon. Juliette said something about needing to have a 'deep meditation' before the storm starts this evening so she's not even coming in until after twelve."

Serena let out a long breath, not believing her luck. "Deep meditation?"

Saira rolled her eyes, but lovingly. "Don't even ask. But if it makes her happy I won't stop her. I'm mostly just here in case there's some type of walk in that needs to be taken care of. I may usually only work the front desk, but I've learned a thing or two about grooming! But don't expect me to get in her way once she sees you here…"

Serena smiled happily and sunk deeper into the chair, allowing herself to relax and begin to enjoy at least a few hours of Saira's company.

* * *

Ash zipped his jacket to his chin as opened his eyes to a secluded area of beach less than a hundred feet away from Serena's front door with Greninja sitting silently beside him, Pikachu on his other side. During his time spent training diligently with his partner, Ash had found that spending simply sitting quietly with Greninja and feeling his thoughts merge with his was exactly the kind of closeness they needed to harness the power in Greninja's transformation. It wasn't perfect, and there were still many moments when Ash would open his eyes to his Pokemon surrounding him from above, the ground below him feeling unsteady, but it was incredibly less frequent. Ash felt like he was only beginning to scratch the surface of the power that their incredible bond had in store for them.

Ash once more lowered his eyelids, feeling the few raindrops that fell here and there hit his face. "Even in the middle of an incoming storm, I feel strong and calm. Do you feel that way too, Greninja?"

Ash turned his face towards Greninja, who in turn brought a webbed fist close to his face and nodded demurely. "Ninja."

Ash smiled widely, standing and looking out towards the water. "Awesome. Then let's get going!" He punched a fist up to the grey clouds that gathering quickly. He wasn't sure how much time had gone by, and was just beginning to wonder when he heard a voice behind him.

"Hey, you, trainer!" it was not unkindly, but not familiar, and curt.

Ash and Greninja turned, Pikachu scampering up to Ash's shoulder. The three looked at each other before Ash pointed a finger to himself. "Uh… are you talking to me?"

The person addressing them was a tall, red headed boy who looked to be at least eighteen, maybe older. His hair hung in front of his eyes but was shorter in the back, and he wore a black jacket with black pants and black boots. "Yeah, you! You look a lot like a trainer I saw a long time ago in the Kalos League. His name is Ash from Pallet town, you know him?"

Ash's face turned crimson and he, Greninja and Pikachu all threw their hands behind their heads, scratching. "Uh yeah I know him, that's me; I'm Ash from Pallet Town."

The imposing trainer's eyes widened and he quickly closed the distance between himself and Ash, getting as close to his face as possible. Behind him, a nearly identical looking trainer stood in the distance, but instead of flaming red hair, he was sporting brilliant blue. "Ash? Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town? It's really you?!"

Ash pulled back, his face feeling very warm. "Uh I guess it is really me…"

"Your battle against Alain in the Kalos League was amazing! I was there and watched the whole thing!" He pulled away, attempting to gather himself back to a calm demeanor while his blue haired friend walked up behind him, rolling his eyes. "My name is Hugo, this is my friend Julien, and I'm working on getting all eight badges to get to the Kalos League. I've got six right now!"

Hugo took out his badge case where Ash noticed the upside triangle with bolts of electricity extending out from the center. "Hey, you've got the Lumiose City gym badge! That means you must have faced Clemont!"

Hugo put the case away and smiled widely. "You bet! Clemont was really strong, his Luxray is one of the most incredible Pokemon I've ever seen!"

"Yeah, Hugo barely got by that one!" Julien jabbed him in the ribs playfully.

Ash felt his heart leap at the mention of his old friend and felt his eyes soften. "Clemont is a really awesome gym leader, and a great friend to me. I'm glad he seems to be doing well."

Hugo pulled out a Pokeball from his hip, making it larger with a click. "Ash, I would love to have a battle with you right now!"

Ash was taken by surprise, but Greninja and Pikachu both looked at him with grins on their faces. "A battle? That sounds awesome to me, Hugo!"

Hugo smirked and stepped back, "I'm going to win this one for sure!"

Julien took the natural place of referee between the two trainers. "Let's make it three Pokemon. You can substitute at any time, and the first to knock out all three of the opponent's Pokemon is the winner!"

Ash nodded, pulling his hat tighter to his head, and nodded.

Hugo nodded as well, holding still with a Pokeball poised in his hand.

"Battle begin!"

* * *

Serena heard her before she saw anything, when suddenly the bells over the front door of the shop announced her arrival. She shrunk deep into the chair, knowing she was about to be caught.

"I'm out of here." Saira said, attempting to duck out towards the back of the shop.

"I knew there was a reason I could not achieve peace during my meditation this morning!" Juliette yelled, pointing an accusatory finger at the now frozen Saira. "Serena! Your presence here broke my concentration!"

Serena stood up immediately and put a large grin on her face, her hands up in surrender. "Juliette! What a coincidence to see you here! I was just stopping by to pick up my brush! You know how much Sylveon can't stand being messy!"

Juliette pointed towards the door. "Out! You are not resting! If anything your mind is more a mess than when you left here two days ago! It's almost as if…" Juliette suddenly stopped, her eyes narrowing suspiciously at Serena, who felt her face getting seared. "He's here. He is here in this city isn't he?"

Serena shook her head quickly. "I have no idea what you're talking about, Juliette."

Juliette rolled her eyes, waving her hands. "I was born at night Serena, but not last night!"

"Hey, that's my line!" Saira said, popping her head out from behind the back door.

"When did he get here?" Juliette said impatiently.

Serena knew it was no use getting around her and sighed. Either these two women were excellent mind readers or she was an open book. "Last… night…"

"Last night. This seems very serendipitous… The tarot cards have been warning me…" Juliette put her chin in her hand, deep in thought about some readings that Serena had absolutely no inkling of knowledge about, when suddenly, an explosion.

The three looked at each other, surprised. Saira spoke up. "That's funny, I wasn't expecting the thunder until later this evening…"

Just underneath the aftermath of the explosion, Serena heard loud yelling, like someone was very excited. She knew exactly who that someone was. "Ash."

She threw herself from the chair she thought she had become one with and flung herself out the door, waving goodbye to Juliette and Saira. "Sorry thanks for the visit, gotta go!"

"Serena! Mercury is coming out of retrograde! Use this to your advantage!" Juliette's voice faded away as Serena pounded down the boardwalk past the limited travellers towards the far end of the boardwalk, back towards her house. She heard his voice again.

"Alright Charizard! Finish this with Seismic Toss!"

Serena jumped clean from the top of the boardwalk and onto a high sand dune towards him and crested the dune just in time to see Ash's behemoth Charizard swooping down on a Machoke before grabbing it in his claws. Charizard flew high, his wings spreading wide before making the turn down towards the ground at a breakneck speed.

"Brace yourself, Machoke!" The red haired trainer watching this scene unfold yelled. Serena assumed he was the challenger.

It proved to be too late for the Machoke as Serena's eyes widened at the power exuberating from Ash's Charizard. She had heard so much about him, and seen Alain's Charizard Mega Evolve many times, but Ash's Charizard seemed different to her. He seemed highly disciplined and shared his trainer's unrelenting passion.

Charizard slammed Machoke into the ground with another blast and flew back, landing in front of Ash ready for the next move. It was not needed; when the dust cleared, Machoke was lying in the center of a small crater, knocked out.

"Machoke is unable to battle. Charizard is the winner!"

Serena had a feeling that this battle was just getting started.

* * *

Hugo called back his Machoke, looking at the Pokeball now containing his partner. "Great job Machoke, now get a good rest." He reached down to his pocket and pulled out the next Pokeball and tossed it in the air.

"Alright Zoroark, it's your turn!"

"Whoa, a Zoroark!" Ash pulled out his Pokedex.

"Zoroark, the Illusion Fox Pokemon. Bonds between these Pokemon are very strong. It protects the safety of its pack by tricking its opponents."

Ash put the Pokedex away and called back his Charizard. "Great job Charizard, you're amazing." He looked down at Pikachu and smiled at his partner. "What do you say buddy, you ready?"

Pikachu jumped out eagerly, his cheeks crackling with electricity, feeding off of the storm system moving in ever closer towards Coumarine.

"Alright Zoroark, let's go! Use Nasty Plot!"

"Zooooooor!" Zoroark roared, his body glowing a bright read before fading. "Ark!"

"Pikachu, Quick Attack now!"

Pikachu's body emitted a silver-white aura as it gained speed well and within a blink. Before Zoroark had time to react, Pikachu had hit hard with a fierce Quick Attack, bouncing off of Zoroark and into the air.

"Counter that with Night Slash!"

Zoroark dug its claws into the ground to right itself and straightened, its claws glowing a sinister dark purple, jumping and charging at Pikachu.

"Pikachu, use Iron Tail from the air!"

Pikachu steadied itself and its tail white, hardening. It was just a bit too slow, and took a hit from Zoroarks Night Slash, falling towards the ground.

"Alright Zoroark! Follow that up with a Feint Attack!"

"Dodge it!"

Pikachu skillfully caught itself with its tail as it fell to the ground, bouncing back up high above Zoroark, who missed.

"Use Iron Tail again!"

"Piiiiika pika pika… chu PI!" Pikachu brought its tail down hard on Zoroark, who was knocked straight to the ground. Pikachu bounced back in front of Ash, ready for more.

"Zoroark! Are you okay?" Hugo asked. Zoroark struggled to get up, but looked back at its trainer and nodded. "Great! Use Night Slash again!"

Zoroark prepared its attack, heading straight for Pikachu.

"Alright Pikachu time to show em what we've got! Thunderbolt!" Ash cried, his fist rising to the air as Pikachu jumped high, his body surrounded with a powerful wave of electricity.

"Piiiiika….CHUUUUUUU!" Pikachu let out a powerful Thunderbolt, stopping Zoroark in its tracks where it fell, defeated.

"Zoroark is unable to battle! Pikachu is the winner!" Julien yelled. "That is one tough Pikachu. I've never seen Zoroark go down so fast!"

"Nice work Zoroark," Huge said as his Pokemon returned. "Alright Ash, this is my last Pokemon, there's no way I'm losing this one!"

Ash smiled, his stance low to the ground and ready for more. "Not if we have anything to do with it!"

* * *

Serena had crept up almost directly behind the blue haired trainer at this point, drawn in to Ash's battling. While she had seen him in the Kalos League, he had displayed depth and ingenuity that left her feeling excited and inspired. Rarely had she walked away from one of Ash's battles without being fired up herself; he had constantly kept her, Bonnie and Clemont on their toes.

Watching Ash battle now was different. Now, she compared him to a love story. He was fast, unrelenting and passionate with just the right amount of forgiveness and trust. It was rage and gentleness all at once. Serena felt her very soul quake watching him battle; it was beautiful.

"Ash…" She breathed, waiting for the two trainers to call out their final Pokemon. The thunder was beginning to roll in heavily, the rain starting to pelt her face. She looked to the sky briefly, her stomach dropping. This was really shaping up to be a big storm.

"Aggron, I'm counting on you! Let's win it!" The red haired trainer tossed out his last Pokeball and a giant Aggron appeared, roaring and confident.

Serena watched as Ash looked towards his Greninja and nodded. Greninja jumped out, its arm folded stoically.

"Alright Aggron, let's get things started with Rock Slide!"

"Greninja, cut!"

Greninja drew its white shining weapon from seemingly nowhere and sliced through the rocks that appeared from above. Not a single rock hit, but Aggron was already on the move towards Greninja.

"Take down!" The red haired trainer cried. Greninja was caught off guard and was hit hard by the charging Aggron, flying in the air and landing with a slam by Ash's feet. Serena gasped and then heard a low rumbling. The storm was nearly here.

"Ash?" she tried to interject.

Serena heard Ash as he grunted. "Greninja! Are you okay?"

Greninja struggled up, and then shook off its injuries. He nodded. "Ninja!"

"Awesome. Use Water Shuriken!" Ash pushed his palm out as Greninja charged and jumped, sharp water stars forming in its hands. "Niiiiiinja!"

"Aggron, Iron Defense!"

"Agg!" Aggron braced itself for Greninja's attack before taking it full on, flinching slightly. Greninja returned to the ground, watching as Aggron looked like it had barely taken a hit.

"Aggron, pin Greninja with Heavy Slam!"

Aggron charged towards Greninja who stood, ready for Ash's commands. Serena watched as Ash put his fists up and Greninja did the same.

"Gotta get stronger, and stronger and stronger!" Ash yelled, throwing his arms out to the sides as Greninja seemed to copy him.

"It's happening!" Serena watched as Greninja became enveloped in a torrent of water before it cleared, revealing the silvery blue winged creature that so closely resembled Ash. The thunder rumbled again, loudly enough the Serena covered her ears and looked into the dark sky, frightened. The rain drops that had been few and far between that morning were suddenly coming down hard.

"Ash!" Serena shouted.

No one heard her and the battle continued fiercely.

"Greninja, jump up and use Aerial Ace!"

Both Ash and Greininja crouched as Greninja sprung up, preparing his Aerial Ace when suddenly, a bolt of lightning, a bold yellow and barely twenty feet from them struck the water from the sky, followed by a very loud and imposing clap of thunder.

Serena screamed, her eyes widening with fear at the closeness of the storm, frozen. Her teeth began to chatter as she wrapped her arms around herself, sprinting towards Ash.

"Ash! Please!" she cried.

Ash finally heard her petrified voice and turned, seeing her running to him, her hair blowing wildly in the wind, her cheeks bright red from the cold air. He felt himself becoming more aware by the second as Greninja returned to its normal form, gently coming out of sync with Ash.

Ash's heart leapt in his chest before dropping again, reading the fear in her bright blue eyes that shimmered. "Serena!"

She crashed into him, not thinking about the awkwardness of the night before or the fear that consumed her this morning or the thought that feeling his body on hers would destroy her. He welcomed her by flinging his arms open as she hit him.

Ash didn't think about the uncomfortable conversation between them last night, or the thoughts that raced through his mind when she held her hand to his arm before he spat out his venomous goodnight, or the thought that maybe after all of these years he couldn't tell her how he really felt deep inside for her because of the way he had left her. He pulled her close to him, assaulted by the vanilla and green tea.

"Ash, please come inside, that was too close!" Serena muffled into his chest, a downpour beginning. Another clap of thunder and Serena gripped his jacket tightly. "Right now!"

Ash let her go to recall Greninja while Pikachu climbed onto his shoulder, shaking. "Hugo, Julien, we'll have to finish this another time!"

Hugo had already recalled his Aggron and Julien had joined him at his side. "Be safe, Ash!"

The two turned and began running as a gust of wind blew towards them, threatening to knock Pikachu off of Ash's shoulder. Ash and Serena began their sprint towards Serena's bungalow, pushed faster by the wind, their hands clasped.

They reached the door, out of breath as Serena grabbed the door handle and flung it open, Ash running in behind her and slamming it shut. Serena's legs gave out as she slumped against the wall next to him, breathing heavily, her wet hair plastered to her face. Ash looked down at her with his eyes wide, the hand that had just held Serena's in his out in front of him like it was his first time seeing it.

Serena returned his gaze, a smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Well, that was close wasn't it?"

At that moment, another bright streak of lightning hit the ocean nearby, a clap of thunder shook the small bungalow, and the kitchen and living room light that Ash had left on that morning cut out, plunging them into darkness.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

 **AN:** _Hi everyone! I'm sorry this chapter is a bit on the short side, but I'm pretty exhausted and heading away for the weekend, but wanted to get at least one chapter out before my travel plans got in the way of updating! Originally, I was supposed to put this chapter and the next chapter (which is still in the works) together for one longer chapter, but where I chose to stop it isn't a bad place (I hope)! The support for my writing has been unreal and I can't thank everyone enough. For everyone who reviewed, thank you so much, your words make my day. It pushes me onward and hopefully makes your time more enjoyable! Thank you for spending the time with Ash and Serena on their journey! I hope this chapter settles a few things between them! As always, special shout out to Epicocity for her kind words and friendship. Thank you for welcoming me to the crowd! Cheers to you!_

* * *

Ash felt his hair stand on end, whether from the dark grey light that surrounded them, as suffocating as an early morning fog or from the warmth of Serena's body by his legs, he wasn't sure. Pikachu jumped off his shoulders and became busy perching himself on the window by Serena's kitchen sink to watch the storm begin its onslaught. Upon the instant the power cut out, he felt Serena shift towards him instinctively and he softened.

He crouched down to her, eye level at her position against the wall, and gently reached over to the tie-dye scarf that hung around her neck, its colors muted in the lack of light. As his hand drew closer, she flinched, withdrawing from his touch quickly. Ash let his hand drop, feeling the sting of her actions wash over him. He had just felt electrified from their brief, but passionate embrace in the storm with Serena's hands grabbing fistfuls of his jacket; the skin on his chest was still warm from where her muffled breath had melted into him.

"I'm sorry," Serena whispered. It was quiet and blended with the darkness that enveloped them in the house. She turned her head to him and Ash dropped to one knee, looking back at her with a furrowed brow.

"It's okay. I know I've probably deserved it." He was sure he didn't mean to, but his words came out with a bitter taste. From the way Serena's eyes flashed, he knew she had heard it too.

"I was just… You're soaked." Ash finished lamely, straightening and offering her a hand. Ash watched as she hesitated before gingerly placing her hand in his, allowing him to pull her up gently. As he did, Ash placed one hand tenderly on the small of her back where he felt her tense and removed it like he had touched a hot stove. "Okay, guess that's not good either."

Serena took a step back from him, casting her eyes down and wringing out her hair with her fists. She stayed silent as the water dripped at her feet and the storm raged outside, the rain slamming into the windows as sharply as rocks against glass. Finally, she spoke.

"That kind of freaked me out back there; the lightning was close to you." Serena whispered, continuing with wringing out her hair. She knew that continuing to twist her knotted tresses would only cause more harm than good at this point but continued to do so, keeping her hands busy. "I'm sorry if I overreacted."

Ash smiled and threw a hand behind the back of his head. "You know me, distracted enough to not notice a hurricane blowing in during a Pokemon battle."

Serena couldn't help but raise the corners of her lips in a smile. "That's the only Ash I know."

There was an aggravated silence between them as they both struggled to find the words to say next to each other. Before the storm had cornered them into the small dark space that was Serena's home, the freedom to venture out and leave had kept them at a comfortable distance from one another. The separation created a safe buffer from either of them making any kind of meaningful conversation with each other, but Ash knew it was only a matter of time until they were forced to communicate.

"I'll go into my bedroom and get into dry clothes; you're welcome to anything in the bathroom again." Serena whispered, already turned towards her bedroom and striding quickly into it. Ash watched the door begin to close, hitting the door frame ever so slightly before bouncing back and leaving a small crack which Ash could see through. He knew he should have been looking away, locking himself in the bathroom to change, feeling his shirt sticking to his back, soaked through, but something rooted him to the spot where he stood. He saw Serena, her back to him, lift the scarf over her neck and toss it to the floor before reaching behind her head and removing the clip that held her hair. It cascaded down her back as she shook it loose. Ash felt his cheeks burning when suddenly Pikachu appeared upside down in front of his face with a very angry expression.

"Pikapi!" Pikachu whispered angrily, covering Ash's eyes with his tiny paws, attempting poorly to not cause a scene.

"Okay, okay!" Ash whispered back with hostility trying to wrestle with his partner's strong paws. "I'm going I know!"

Ash finally succeeded in wrenching him off and held him an arms-length away to find the small mouse Pokemon with his tiny arms crossed glaring back at him. "Pika! Pikachu, pikapi!"

"I'm going right now!" Ash set him down, reaching for his backpack.

"Is something going on out there?" Serena's voice called to him, deadened by the door between them.

"No!" Ash yelled back innocently, making his way to the bathroom quickly, pausing outside of the door to look back at Pikachu, who was pointing to his left, a signal for Ash to get into the bathroom. "Nothing going on here!"

He didn't bother to close the door with the power out, but instead made sure he wedged himself behind the small triangle space the door allowed as it swung inward. His cheeks still burned as he peeled his wet clothes from his body and slid into his black sweatpants and grey tank-top, silently thanking Pikachu for pulling his gaze away when he did.

* * *

Serena felt her way around her dimmed room, feeling for the shorts and sweatpants she had taken off that morning on the edge of her bed when she heard a scuffle outside in the living room. She cocked her ears for a moment and heard hissing like whispering.

"Is something going on out there?" Serena called, standing still as she listened for Ash's or Pikachu's response.

"No!" He yelled back to her, his voice muffled through the door. His footsteps, urgent, moving through the kitchen into the bathroom sounded then. "Nothing going on here!"

Serena rolled her eyes as she located her warm clothes, desperately replacing her wet clothes for them. Her heart was beating just as fast as it was when she first wrenched her front door open after sprinting across the beach with Ash's hand warm in hers. Her body felt like it was sitting on pins and needles after their fierce embrace in the storm, the slightest brush of his touch sending fire through her skin. It was the reason she had to pull away when she knew he was reaching for her as she pressed herself against the wall by her front door.

She silently cursed herself for evading him, replaying the look that had flashed across his face and the words he had uttered next. _I've probably deserved this_.

 _I'm not sure what either of us deserve, Ash._

She finished pulling on her dry clothes and threw the hood over her head, walking towards her closet and shifting around boxes looking for the candles she had stashed in the same place when Juliette gave them to her, every holiday season. They were a dark purple, the glass covered in carefully thought out yellow starred constellations, infused with lavender oil. Juliette had claimed Serena need to relax more; while she had scoffed at the notion then, Serena couldn't help but laugh to herself as she thought about her situation now.

"If you could see me now, Juliette…" Serena trailed off, locating them in the far upper corner of her closet, just out of reach. She huffed loudly as she climbed over a pile of unused shoes, crushing them beneath her bare feet. "How do I get this box down every year?"

A sudden knock at her door shocked her and she gasped quietly, losing her balance as she tipped precariously on top of a layer of shoes.

"Serena?" Ash's voice reached her ears as he stood outside of her door.

Attempting to catch herself, she gripped at the side of the closet letting out a small 'oomf!' as she missed and tumbled backwards, landing flat on her back. "I have got to stop letting Juliette give me candles."

Serena heard the door fly open, Ash's voice clearer now. "Serena!" she could hear his footsteps travel quickly towards her in the darkness. Closing her eyes in embarrassment, sending mental curses to Juliette and her candles, she suddenly felt herself being lifted to an upright position.

Serena opened her eyes to find her face a palms length away from Ash's rich and expressive brown eyes, wide and concerned. She let her gaze travel down to his lips, which were pink and parted slightly, turned down in a frown. Pikachu looked over his shoulder, looking with just as much intensity at her as his trainer. "Are you okay?"

Serena felt like her tongue was tied and she choked on the words that came out in a constricted whisper. "Yes. I… I was trying to get some candles down from the… back of my… closet…"

Serena could feel the heat rushing to the place on her back where Ash was supporting her and was torn between wriggling free from his grasp or letting her hand fall gently onto his mouth. She decided on the first option, finally coming to her senses and rushing up quickly.

Ash took a step backwards from her, giving her space. "Here, let me get them for you."

Serena cut him off by suddenly grabbing a Pokeball from her open bag strewn across her bed. "Delphox, come on out!"

Delphox appeared in a bright beam of light, quickly taking in her dark surroundings to happily find Serena. "Delphox!"

"Delphox, there's a bit of a storm outside and the power went out, that's why it's so dark in here." Serena said, gesturing to the window that was drenched in raindrops. "Could you get the box of candles down for me in the closet? You know… the ones Juliette makes for us…"

Delphox smirked and seemed to roll her eyes before, with all of the grace of a performance Pokemon, walking to Serena's closet and effortlessly removing the box of candles, brandishing them to her happily.

"Thank you, Delphox!" Serena said, quickly taking the box from Delphox and leading the group back out into the living room. She began pulling the large purple candles out from seemingly endless box, arranging some of them in a circle on the coffee table and several in the kitchen. "Delphox do you mind lending a hand?"

"Del!" Delphox answered, brandishing its twig-like wand from her fur and bringing the tip to her petite nose where she gently blew. Small flames emitted from the tip of the wand, each delicately finding its home on one of the candles Serena had set out. "Phox!"

Serena walked over to her oldest partner and reached out to give her a hug, grateful for the warm fur that enveloped her. "Thank you, Delphox."

Ash watched them with a soft expression on his face, drinking in the sight of Serena's face lit so sweetly by the diffuse orange light cast by the candles. He could feel his jaw dropping as his mouth opened slightly, immediately smelling a faint scent of lavender which went over him in a wave of relaxation. His previously fast beating heart slowed to a steady beat and he felt Pikachu's ears beginning to droop in sleepiness.

"Piiiiiika… Pikachu…" Pikachu jumped off of Ash's shoulder and nestled himself in the lap of Delphox who had now sat next to the sliding glass door, watching the storm beat ceaselessly. She looked surprised for a moment before looking at Serena and giving some sort of shrug, signifying she was content.

Ash however, had other thoughts and nearly fell to the floor in embarrassment. "Pikachu! You have so many other places to take a nap!"

Serena finally felt a genuine laugh leave her throat, finally feeling peaceful enough to sit on her couch, drawing up the red fleece blanket that had been left there from this morning. "It's okay! Delphox looks like she's fine with it."

Ash looked over at the other seat of the couch, inches from Serena, who had crossed her legs underneath her and was shaking the blanket out across herself and the other cushion. She caught his stare and blushed, but swallowed hard, feeling calm. Maybe these candles were a good thing to keep, after all. "You can sit down, you know. I don't bite."

Ash smiled and strode over to the couch, hesitantly sitting next to her and putting the other half of the blanket over his legs, being careful that they did not touch hers no matter how badly he wanted to. Although the soothing lavender scent was making its way up to his brain, he couldn't help but notice that his skin felt like it was on fire.

"Some storm, huh?" Ash whispered, joining Delphox's observation out the sliding glass door. Serena didn't answer for what seemed like several minutes before turning her face to him, drawing his gaze.

"So… why don't you tell me… what are you doing in Coumarine City?" Serena felt awkward, finally asking the question that had been on her mind since she first saw him on the boardwalk last night.

Serena was surprised to find his face open up into a wide grin, his eyes closing in contentment briefly, as if deep in thought, before opening them and focusing on her, causing her heart to skip a beat. "You remember that I was helping Professor Rowan with studying all of those Wailmer at Lilycove, right?"

Serena snuggled deeper into the couch cushion, letting her foot cautiously leave the safety from underneath her and felt it connect with Ash's leg but didn't move, being bold. "Of course! All of your messages to me made it seem like you really enjoyed getting to know all about them."

"Yeah, I did. There was one Wailmer in particular this year that really took a liking to me and Pikachu. He really made getting up before dawn every morning worth it." Ash trailed off, his hand absentmindedly wandering to his hair, free of his hat. He tried looking away from Serena's face because her blue eyes were reflecting beautifully in the lively candlelight. It was hard to focus on putting words together. "Anyway, the Professor came to Lilycove himself a few days ago and asked me to follow them on their migration and tell him where their final destination was. That's actually who I was talking to when you… when we ran into each other last night."

Serena nodded in understanding, slowly bringing out her other foot to join her first by Ash's legs. "Wow, so they ended their journey here, in Coumarine? That must have been a really amazing experience for you, Ash."

Ash felt his face flush a deep crimson, letting his mind race before opening his mouth to respond. He thought about how his heart had leapt to his throat when he realized where he was, how close he was to her, how he could finally fix everything he did so wrong when he left her last. He looked directly into her blue eyes as deep as the ocean and took his first steps to do just that. "Serena, it was amazing because… they brought me here… they brought me back to you."

Serena froze, her breath caught in her throat, letting his words flow through her and absorbing them. Did he really just say that? To her? She was silent and so was he, the quiet between them broken only by a loud clap of thunder and a streak of lightning that lit both of their faces brightly before it faded and all that was left was the rolling thunder.

Serena was the first to break the standoff, her words barely audible except for Ash had leaned his body closer to her, their faces separated by barely a foot. "I've wanted to ask you so many questions, Ash…"

Ash shifted his body so that their bodies were face to face now, lifting his hand as though he was going to place it on top of hers resting in the space between them, but thought better of it. "Serena, I owe you so many answers… and an apology."

Serena tilted her head, her slowly drying hair shifting slightly so that a chunk fell over her shoulders towards her face. Ash watched this happen, entranced and the calming lavender scent giving him the confidence he hadn't had in years. "After I lost to Alain, something in me…"

"Snapped." Serena finished for him, her eyes shining with a memory Ash couldn't place. "I've been there, Ash. I know what it feels like to lose at something you've worked hard for."

Ash shook his head, remembering the moments himself. "I know you do, Serena. I've watched you handle it way more gracefully than I ever have…" He laughed, thinking about his meltdown after battling Wulfric and the cold snowballs that hit his face. "It was more than that though. There was something… else. Something I couldn't explain until I left and it was too late."

Serena was surprised to hear this, her attention fully on his words, coaxing them out of him one breath at a time. "What do you mean?"

Ash gave her a look that Serena couldn't make out, but if she could describe it she would say he wasn't buying that she didn't understand him. "When I lost, when the Kalos league ended, I felt like… a lot more ended for me than just another tournament… I had the time of my life being with you, and Clemont and Bonnie… I felt… really… sad."

Serena could hear just how much pain was being pushed through Ash's words. He sounded like he was having an internal struggle and whatever had been plaguing him for years was fighting its way out to her. Patiently, she sat completely still, the sound of their breathing mingling with the torrential downpour. Serena couldn't help but think it was the perfect metaphor for their heightened emotions.

"I felt really sad because…" Ash hesitated, looking into Serena's eyes. They were wide and unblinking, staring back at him with such intensity Ash felt like he was burning under her gaze. He wanted desperately to tell her exactly why he had been so broken the day he had left her. He wanted to explain that he wrenched himself away from her so maliciously because he couldn't bear to look at her face and have it draw him back in; that he was conflicted to the point of a breakdown between his anger at once again failing to win a Pokemon League that was calling him to move on and train hard, not letting anything stop him until he fulfilled his dream, and the fact that Serena had over their many months of traveling together and supporting each other through thick and thin, become the single most important person in his life. Would it unravel everything they had together if he told her how badly he wanted to stay with her that day, to take her up in his arms and never let her go?

It was time to take a chance or else risk having those regretful feelings continue to haunt him. "I was really sad because, when the Kalos League ended, I was afraid that… we would end, too." There, he said it. His breath rushed out in heavy sigh, his eyes casting themselves downward at her hand, still in the same spot.

Serena was still rooted to her seat deep on the couch cushion, hardly believing what she was hearing. She had spent so long during their time together attempting to drop hints that she cared for Ash in more than just a friend way, that she saw his face when she closed her eyes at night in her tent and felt electrified by his touch, even then. Since the day he had found her, lost and afraid in the woods and lead her out bravely by the hand, to the day she watched him launch himself off of Prism Tower and many more after that he stirred something in her that was impossible to force down. Now, here he was, telling her in his own unique and round-about way that he was crushed after he lost because of his fear that their relationship would end.

"I was afraid that if I told you how I felt, you would dismiss it." Ash continued, stealing a glance at her but mostly setting his eyes on Delphox who was still holding her sentinel position at the sliding glass door. "I guess I'm not really that great at this… sort of thing…"

Serena, who had kept quiet this whole time, finally spoke. "Why would you ever think I would dismiss anything you felt, Ash? You're… you're one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Why do you think I came chasing after you when I saw you on Prism Tower, saving Professor Sycamore's Garchomp? I had to… be near you again."

Ash turned his face to hers again, bringing them closer so that he could feel her soft breath on his face. He closed his eyes to the warmth, his hand coming up to brush his fingers across her cheek when suddenly, Pikachu, who had been fast asleep in Delphox's lap, pricked his ears straight up.

Ash wrenched himself away, alarmed at his best buddy's sudden movements. "Pikachu, what is it? Do you hear something?"

Pikachu lifted his whole head up now, tilting it to the side as though straining to listen to something very quiet, unintelligible to human ears. "Chu…"

Ash momentarily forgot Serena, who was left with a pout on her face after being so close to hearing Ash's true feelings for her (not to mention so close to her face) and in turn confessing them back. He made his way over to the sliding glass door, Delphox standing aside for him, squinting through the heavy rain and winds to see if he could find what was causing Pikachu to stir. "What is it?" Ash repeated.

Pikachu leapt on to Ash's shoulder, gaining a better vantage point. He could hear Serena whisper, "Ash?" inquisitively behind him but he had no answer for her. Finally, after a tense minute, Pikachu finally began hitting Ash hard on his shoulder with his tiny paws, clearly distressed and motioning towards the beach where Ash had just had his battle.

"Pikapi! Pikapi, Pikachu, chu chu!" Pikachu was gesturing wildly and Ash finally gave in, wrenching the sliding glass door open and stuck his head out.

"Ash! What are you doing?!" Serena leapt off of the couch, coming up behind him to pull him back in.

Ash strained his ears, his face immediately battered by the brutal and severe rain when he finally heard it. A long, lonely and heart shattering cry. A cry that he had heard many times before, when one of them had lost their group and called out to the masses to get help and reunite. It was a cry he knew very well after years of studying it.

"WAILMER!" Ash exclaimed, hurling his body out of the door, barefooted and jacketless, beginning the sprint towards the beach.

"ASH!" Serena screamed after him, once again cursing his rash hotheadedness, but not even thinking to put shoes on her own feet either. Delphox attempted to grab her on her jump out the door, but was unsuccessful as Serena cleared the step and followed Ash. Delphox hurried after her, sealing the door shut with a wave of her paw. "ASH! STOP!"

Ash briefly turned back towards her, attempting to use his arm like a windshield wiper to get the sheet of rain away from his face. In doing so, she once more crashed into him, blinded by the downpour and he gripped her arms, his face inches from hers, yelling over the howling wind and a low rumbling thunder. "Stay inside! It's not safe!"

"It's not safe for you either!" Serena yelled back to him, bringing her hands around his face, framing it in her hands. "Either we both go back in or I'm coming with you!"

Ash allowed them one moment of this, his face in her hands and her body in his arms before giving her a lopsided grin and giving in. The rain was soaking them again, her hair matted around his fingers. "We have to hurry!"

He grabbed her hand, Pikachu on his shoulder and Delphox following behind them, racing towards the dune they had climbed over before to get back to her house and coming over the top. He stumbled once before he reached the top, Serena yanking his arm upwards to keep him from falling. As they got to the bottom, Ash could make out a large, round blue shape, struggling at least 30 feet away from the tide, with no hope of making it back on its own.

"Wailmer! I'm coming hang on!" Ash yelled, trying to make out what was wrong. As they approached, Ash could see the brown crisscrossed lines that were winding their way over and around the Wailmer's body, snaking their way into and out of its mouth. Another drawn out cry; Ash could tell that this particular Wailmer was in incredible pain.

Skidding to a halt in front of the large Ball Whale Pokemon, Ash released Serena's hand and dropped to his knees in the hard, wet sand beside the Wailmer, placing his hands between its eyes, moving in slow soothing circles. "Shhh, it's okay we're here to help you. It'll be okay, you'll see."

"Ash! I think this Wailmer hurt its fin!" Serena called out, kneeling by its left stubby fin, her hand pulling away from its body tinted red. "How did it get tangled in this rope? We don't allow fishing lines this close to shore!"

"It probably wasn't close… they were swimming far out when we arrived, I bet this storm just tossed them around, they were still pretty young when they left Lilycove!" Ash shouted back to her, trying to make sense of how to get the rope away from the poor Pokemon's body.

Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and went to inspect the Wailmer close up, looking into its eyes. The Wailmer cried out again, but this time it sounded almost like recognition. That's when Pikachu began motioning wildly back to Ash, pointing at Wailmer. "Pikapi!"

Ash took a hard second look as realization hit him. It was Wailmer 394.

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 **One more AN:** I might not be able to update until Sunday or Monday, so don't hate me! The next chapter may also be the last for this story, a bit short but forgive me, its my first! I've had so much fun writing Ash and Serena though that I'm thinking up so many more ideas. Anyway, thank you so much again! Don't panic!


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

 **AN:** _This story is so fun to write, and it has gotten so much support that I'm caving – I'm writing another chapter after this which will most likely be the last, but could be the second to last. We'll see! Anyway, thank you to EVERYONE who has taken the time to stop by my writings and read and favorite and review and make me feel just so special. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Heavy, heavy fluffy stuff in this chapter, I hope you guys enjoy!_

* * *

Ash was frozen for a very brief moment where he allowed himself to think about the tear filled goodbye he had had with Wailmer barely forty-eight hours before this exact moment. He had never expected to see him again, or that he would end up in Coumarine City, drenched in the middle of near hurricane conditions, with Serena barely five feet from him, crouched in the sand and soaked to the bone.

"Serena! This is the Wailmer that Pikachu and I really got along with!" Ash said, grabbing the rope that was tangled around its body and pulling hard towards his body. It was futile and the rope showed no signs of tearing.

Serena nodded, Delphox standing concernedly above her, attempting to shield her trainer from the storm by throwing her arms over Serena's head. "We need to get the rope off before we do anything about moving him!"

"Right!" Ash reached for his pockets automatically. "Greninja I choose - !"

In the middle of his launching motion, Ash stopped himself short, falling face first into the sand in embarrassment. "The rest of my Pokemon are inside…" His face burning, Ash quickly returned to his feet and began pulling the rope taught, as far away from Wailmer's body as the length would permit.

"Don't worry, Wailmer, I've got an idea. Pikachu! Use Iron Tail on this part of the rope!" Ash yelled to his partner, who was busy with moving his paws over Wailmer's face, calming the distressed whale Pokemon. "Be very careful not to hit Wailmer!"

"Pika!" Pikachu sprung back from close by Wailmer's face and put a determined look on his own before launching himself into the air. Gathering as much energy as he could muster, Pikachu's tail began to glow a blinding white. He reached full power and brought his body down, his tail connecting with the rope in a clean, precise cut. Ash wrenched away the large chunk that came apart in his hands and threw it to the ground.

"Great job buddy!" A bolt of lightning hit the water close to them again, causing Serena to jump from her vigil by Wailmer's injured side. Ash's face snapped to hers, the two making fierce eye contact. "Serena, look at me, it's okay. We're here together, you can do this."

Serena furrowed her brow, nodding to Ash with determination before looking up at Delphox. "Alright Delphox, let's help get this rope off of Wailmer!"

"Delphox!" Delphox yelled with equal determination as Serena, moving quickly to Wailmer's side, grabbing fistfuls of rope in its paws.

Ash ran to the other side of Wailmer to join Serena and Delphox, who were struggling to find the easiest way to remove the twisted fibers. He allowed himself another look at Serena when he got there, inhaling the rich vanilla and green tea scent that wafted off of her now that her hair was wet and plastered to her face. Ash was intoxicated, almost frozen, lost in the look that she wore on her face; it was equal parts beauty and ferocity and it moved Ash deeply to his core.

"Serena..." He began, about to reach for her when she brought her hand to his chin and geared his face back towards the distressed Wailmer, a worried Pikachu sitting on top of him, anxiously trying to sooth his friend.

"Ash! Not now!" Serena exclaimed, exasperated. She could hardly believe her luck; she had spent months trying to make dense, hotheaded Ash see her how she longed for him to, holding onto her feelings for years after they separated and now he was trying to tell her what she had longed to hear most in the middle of an impressive thunderstorm during a rescue mission. Serena huffed, not surprised in the slightest.

Ash felt the heat rise to his cheeks as he turned and grabbed a piece of tangled rope, bracing himself. "Right… okay, on three, ready? One, two, three!"

The three of them, Serena, Delphox and Ash, pulled together and with a great effort, the rope came sliding off of Wailmer's body to land in a heap at their feet, wet and useless. Wailmer expressed his immediate thanks with a loud cry and by pushing air through his blowhole, which frightened Delphox a few steps back. Ash knew they were not nearly out of the woods yet.

Serena brought her hands back to the wound she had located near his fin and felt for the extent of the damage. Her unique training as a groomer fit to heal and control minor injuries on Pokemon who came to the shop allowed her to recognize that this was not a very concerning wound. "Ash, I think this wound is superficial, probably just a result from the struggle with the rope! I'm almost sure that if we got Wailmer back into the water safely, he would be okay!"

Ash opened his mouth to respond to her when suddenly more cries filled the skies, mingling with the torrent of rain that was unrelenting. Both he and Serena followed the sound with their eyes towards the white-capped and choppy seas where they could just make out around ten different dark shapes bobbing in the waves, looking on at them with expressions of fear that Ash could make out from his place on the beach. "It's the other Wailmer!"

Ash knelt close to Wailmer's face again, bringing his hand back between Wailmer's eyes. "Wailmer, can you hear your friends out there? They're waiting for you, and we're going to get you back there, just hold on!"

This time, it was Serena's turn to be awed by Ash's attributes. As she watched him bring himself down to Wailmer's level, she felt her heart leap and beat faster, fluttering against her chest. Watching him battle hours ago with passionate toughness that was put together like poetry and seeing him now, sunk into the wet sand and dripping with cold rain soothing the helpless Wailmer was the reason she had let herself fall for him. He could be a fierce competitor, protector and relentless in his loyalty but within seconds turn himself into a gentle and patient person filled with unbreakable kindness and innocence. To Serena, Ash's ability to be all of these things for her was what made him, well, Ash. As she allowed her mind to drift, her eyes watched his strong muscles, rippling beneath his shoulders as he pushed himself from the ground, reaching for her arm.

His voice broke her reverie. "Serena! Did you hear me?!"

Shaking her head to clear her thoughts, she blushed and admitted she hadn't. "I'm sorry, I couldn't over the wind!" Serena let the lie slip through her teeth innocently.

"I said, do you think Delphox can use Psychic on Wailmer to lift him back to the water? I think he's too heavy for us to push back!" Ash yelled back, loudly and close to her ear. She shivered lightly as his breath hit her ear.

Serena nodded, indicating she had understood and turned towards Delphox who stood behind her, glaring up at the skies like the rain it was releasing was personally offending her. "Delphox, did you hear Ash? Use Psychic on Wailmer and see if you can move him back to the water!"

"Phox!" Delphox nodded and brandished her twig-like wand once again, grateful for something to distract her from the rain and the fact that her fur was going to need a good, long brushing. She raised her wand with elegance and a blue aura appeared around Wailmer.

"Come on, Delphox! You can do it!" Ash yelled, punching his fist into the air with Pikachu on his shoulder, cheering just as loudly. "Pika Pikachu!"

Slowly, with a cry, Wailmer was lifted into the air, leaving a crater of hard and matted sand where he had struggled. With great concentration, Delphox focused on inching Wailmer closer and closer to the tide that was rushing to meet the shore, with Serena, Ash and Pikachu encouraging her loudly beyond the sounds of the storm. Wailmer cried a long and pitiful cry, desperately trying to reach his friends who were waiting in the water for him to return.

"Keep going, Delphox! You're doing so awesome!"

"Great job Delphox! He's almost there!"

"Pikachu!"

Finally, with one last heave, Delphox was able to hover Wailmer over the shallows of the rushing tide before dropping him with a splash into the water. Wailmer cried out, flapping his fins wildly to right himself in the waves that once more threatened to push him back to shore before two more Wailmer, one on each side, appeared and pushed him against the crashing waves. With their help, Wailmer was able to swim past the breakers with his two companions, who were singing to him, their cries uniting with one another's in perfect harmony, carrying over the violence of the storm.

Ash rushed into the tide, the water sliding past his ankles and soaking his pant bottoms. Ash ignored this and, with a large grin, raised his hand high into the air with one more farewell, Wailmer sending out a final cry of thanks as he disappeared once more into the water, Pikachu on his shoulder. "Goodbye again, Wailmer 394! Be careful out there!"

Pikachu brought himself on top of Ash's head and waved as well, yelling as loudly as he could. "Piiiiiika!"

Serena knelt next to Delphox, who had dropped to her knees from the effort she expelled moving Wailmer the meaningful distance from the shore back to swimmable waters. Serena placed her hand over Delphox's paw in thanks, thunder rolling in the distance, signaling another lightning bolt. "Delphox, you did such an amazing job. Thank you so much."

Delphox looked up at her, grinning through her panting, looking very pleased despite the fact that her fur was now beyond just a quick brushing. "Del…phox…"

Serena straightened and turned back towards Ash, watching his back as his feet were washed in heavy, damp sand that was brought in from the rushing tide. His hair was as flat to his head as she had ever seen it, and she was sure hers didn't look any better, self-consciously running her fingers through it. As she did so, he turned back to her, his smile reaching far into his eyes, his mouth open in laughter as Pikachu bounded from his head towards Delphox. Serena took a few steps back as Pikachu reached Delphox and jumped into her arms where the two friends embraced happily, Pikachu running up Delphox's arms to stand on her shoulder as she lifted herself from her knees.

Ash watched as Serena looked on at Pikachu and Delphox happily celebrating with one another. From the few feet away from her where he was standing, he could see each individual drop of rain that fell onto her hair and rolled off, which made her skin glisten. Ash allowed his eyes to travel from her hair, darkened by the rain, down to her bare feet, now ankle deep in the sand. She suddenly turned to him, her eyes shining with something he couldn't quite make out – it was deep and fervent, and Ash could practically feel the energy that was invisible but nonetheless strong between them. He thought about all of the times he should have told her how much more she had become to him, when he let his thoughts stay silent and repressed until it built into something that caused so much pain. All the years he had spent away from her, brooding and miserable, before a wandering group of Wailmer, this Wailmer, brought them back together. Suddenly, Ash knew, drenched and cold, that there was no room left for more time.

At the same time he felt his feet begin to carry himself towards her, attempting to keep himself upright as the waves crashed around his ankles, he saw her sprint through the sand, closing the distance between them. Within seconds, for the second time that day, Serena collided with him hard enough to nearly knock him over but he held strong and brought his arms tight around her, pressing his face into her shoulder.

Serena could feel the tension rolling off of him in waves, the release washing over her enough that she felt her legs almost go limp as he held her, her hands gripping his shoulders inhaling the salty sweetness from his soaked shirt. She couldn't help but keep a smile off of her face, wanting to say so much to him, but instead stayed silent before he pulled away from her, moving his hands to gently hold her cheeks. She was blinking furiously, the rain tumultuous and blinding, but his face was close enough to hers that it was clear, their noses touching.

"Serena, I am so sorry. I don't think any words can express how sorry I really am. I should have told you so many times. That night at the ball, the day you saved me from myself in the Winding Woods; that snowball knocked so much more sense into me that day than you even know." His breath came out in a huff as he laughed, Serena sure his mind was replaying moments that she shared with him. "I've been traveling for years, with so many different people, seeing so many different beautiful places, meeting incredible Pokemon and doing amazing things. But you came back into my life and you… you were always… different. I couldn't place it then; I was, and still am, pretty dense."

Serena swallowed the large lump that had formed in her throat, feeling tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes and mingle with the water that was already there. "Oh Ash tell me something I don't know already!"

Ash could feel the corners of him mouth straining with how big his smile stretched across his face. "I guess I'm really not good at this kind of thing am I?"

Serena shook her head, one hand snaking up his back to grip the hair that was closest to the nape of his neck. "You never have been, but I'm going to need you to get on with this because we are definitely still in the middle of a thunderstorm right now."

Ash took a moment to look up, the rain falling into his eyes and causing him to flinch in surprise before looking back at Serena, his hands still cupping her face. "There I go, distracted again."

He took one deep breath before continuing, looking back at her meaningfully. "I've had so many years, sitting at Lilycove, thinking about why I was so upset to lose the Kalos League, why I took this ending harder than the rest. It was you, Serena. I can't pinpoint the exact moment when it happened, or whether it was fast or slow, but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with you, Serena."

Serena could feel her heart leap, the tears spilling down her cheeks now, a far-away bolt of lightning illuminating the thick grey clouds that hung overhead. She had waited so long for those words to wash over her; all of the passion that had been lost to her when he left her that day came rushing back the moment she saw him. All of the anger she held back when he had left her so uncharacteristically dissipated into warmth and shared joy as she looked back at him, sliding her hands down once more to rest on top of his shoulders.

"I have been waiting, so long for you to say that, Ash." Serena whispered, bringing their faces dangerously close together. "I love you, too."

Ash smiled crookedly, and breathed out a sigh of relief. He tilted his head and slowly brought his lips close to hers, pausing just before, timidly asking for her permission. "Can I please kiss you?"

Serena couldn't keep herself from releasing a nervous giggle, nodding feverishly. "Please do before I freeze to death."

He brushed his thumb along her lips before suddenly his lips were on hers, and he could feel the softness and warmth of them as they turned up in a smile. It was pouring and thunder rolled over the water like a loose cannon, but Ash was sure he had never felt more on fire in his life as he did in that moment. They were a perfect match, each giving in to the other in the right moments, while giving back equally as well.

Serena finally broke them apart, her hands resting on Ash's chest, feeling his one hand still cupping her face while the other had slid down to rest at the small of her back. She could see the same flush on his face that she felt on hers and laughed before looking down at their feet, which were hidden by the rushing water. "As much as I'd love to do this more, it is still storming and we are most definitely still in the middle of it."

"Pikapi!"

"Delphox!"

Ash and Serena both whipped their heads in the direction of their partner's voices to find them halfway back to Serena's home, waving them both on, with Pikachu balancing on top of Delphox's shoulers. Affording each other a quick look, they broke apart, gripping each other's hands before sprinting back up towards the beach and covering the distance quickly.

Serena reached the sliding glass door to her back patio first, slipping for a moment with her wet hands on the handle before wrenching it open, Delphox and Pikachu sliding in first, with Ash bringing up the rear. Almost immediately, Pikachu jumped off of Delphox and landed on floor, shaking its fur out vigorously, while Delphox shielded herself from the droplets that were flying like bullets off of Pikachu.

"Pikachu! Stop that right now!" Ash exclaimed, walking over and picking Pikachu up off of the floor to stop him from shaking any further. "Have I taught you no manners?"

Serena and Delphox exchanged a look, thinking back on all of the times that Ash and Pikachu had inhaled their food in front of her without a thought. Serena walked straight through to her bathroom where she fished four fluffy towels out from the closet, throwing two at Ash and laughing as they hit him square in the face and bounced off into his arms that were still holding Pikachu.

"Nice catch," Serena smirked, handing one politely to Delphox. Delphox gladly accepted and went to work on fluffing her fur, hoping it would shine again before the nights end. Serena took hers and walked into her bedroom, turning back at the sight of Ash knelt to the ground, rubbing a disgruntled Pikachu down with a towel. Serena saw Pikachu's cheeks crackling from the static being generated from Ash's vigorous work.

Serena carefully went through her drawers, pulling out a dry sweatshirt and leggings in the now almost pitch darkness of her room, the power still out and the only light from the candles that barely reached into her bedroom. She allowed herself to move slowly and deliberately, her lips still tingling from Ash's kiss. It had been almost what she had expected back when she woke up wishing he would kiss her every morning – only with their few years of growing older something she wasn't expecting was etched into the unrestrained passion and softness that she had felt. Serena felt an unmistakable air of maturity, the way he had leaned slowly into her, his breath mingling cautiously with hers before he whispered and asked if he could kiss her. It was comforting and sweet beyond words that he respected her and held her in such high regard that he went above and beyond making sure he did everything right.

Serena finished dressing and began to make work on tousling her soaked hair, shaking it back to life when she was suddenly overwhelmed with exhaustion, the events of the day catching up to her. It was then that she realized she had absolutely no idea what time it was, and for once, instead of watching the hours drag by day after day, she had no care for that. As she smiled, being the most relaxed she has been in a while, a soft knock on the door startled her as Ash gently pushed the door open, hesitating to wait for her answer.

"Come in, Ash." Serena whispered, her stomach dropping instinctively. She could make out his shape in shadows, just illuminated by the circle of candles on the coffee table behind him, changed into a pair of dry sweatpants and to her embarrassment, no shirt. Her face flushing she looked away, dropping the towel in a laundry basket by her closet before turning back to him as he stood in her door frame.

Ash could feel his eyes adjusting to the darkness of Serena's room as he stared at her, following the wet curls of her hair, pulled to one side as they tumbled over her shoulder, creating a damp spot on her sweatshirt. He could hardly keep himself away as he closed the distance between them again, pausing for just a moment as he reached for her, when she walked herself into his arms once more, giving Ash the confidence he needed, sighing with contentment.

"I'm not dreaming, right?" Serena whispered into the darkness, not sure if she was talking to Ash or to herself.

Ash ever so lightly kissed the top of her head, squeezing her tight to his body. She felt warm and inviting, making him drowsy. "If you are, then please don't wake me up."

Serena giggled and pulled back, tilting her chin upward at him before attempting to stifle a yawn which Ash immediately caught on to. He had to contain one of his own before his response, which began with a laugh. "I better let you get some rest. It's been… a day."

Serena smiled, taking his hand in hers as though they had been doing this for years. "You can say that again." She gave his fingers a squeeze before letting them go, her hand trailing towards him as she walked backwards toward her bed, her eyelids growing heavy.

Ash remained rooted in his spot, watching with a pang as she let the distance between them grow. Ash was certain that he could spend hours feeling the warmth of her body next to his, their only company silence. He began walking back towards the door of her bedroom before she cleared her throat gently, a signal that he took to get his attention. "Yeah, Serena?"

Serena bit her bottom lip, leaning heavily against her bed, wanting nothing more than to fall into it and be under the layers of blankets, but already feeling lonely without Ash. "You could… you could stay in here… with me…" Serena managed to sputter out, her eyes first catching on his face before looking away in embarrassment towards the slightly open bedroom door where she suddenly was just able to make out the dim faces of two nosy Pokemon watching them with unbridled anticipation.

"Delphox!" Serena yelled, her face flushing as she stood upright, pointing straight out in front of her.

Ash jumped at her sudden outburst but followed her finger where he saw Pikachu, eagerly watching the scene unfold from the top of Delphox's head. "Pikachu! Go to your own bed!"

"Pikapi! Pikapi Pikachu! Chu chu chuuuuu!" Pikachu was laughing, racing away from the cracked door, while Delphox was doubled over in silent laughter, following out of sight, admitting defeat.

Ash looked back towards Serena, her face in her hands but shielding a small smile. "I don't think I'm the only one that wants you to… stay."

Ash dropped his shoulders and crossed the room towards her, closing the distance and reaching out a hand to put her chin in his hands, lifting her face to his. She let him easily and closed her eyes as he bent lightly to her, touching their lips once more briefly. "Can I stay?"

Serena smiled up at him, once again touched by the innocence he displayed. Whether that was from not being quite sure what to do, or being genuinely concerned for her feelings Serena wasn't sure but she had a strong inkling it had to do with both. Instead of an answer, she pulled gently away from him and walked lightly to the side of the bed, flipping back the covers in one motion and climbing into it, leaving space for Ash to lay next to her, looking up at him in the darkness.

Ash swallowed hard, taking a breath before making his way to the empty side, climbing into it and sinking in deeper than he expected. He pulled the covers up to nearly his chin, turning his head so that him and Serena were facing each other, the silence between them broken only by the storm that continued to announce its presence outside.

Serena broke this with a whisper. "I can't pinpoint the exact moment either."

Ash raised an eyebrow quizzically, shuffling closer to her to hear her voice which came out breathlessly. "The exact moment?"

Serena moved herself closer to him as well, being careful they weren't touching but close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body. Her eyelids were heavy, but she responded, determined. "That I knew I was in love with you."

Ash breathed deeply, letting the exhaustion and content roll over him, coupled with the tension that had built up in him for years leaving his body in waves. "Me neither, Serena; I think my moment got lost between the seconds, minutes, hours, days... I tried running for so long but…" Ash stifled a yawn before he finished his thought. "There's only so long I can stay in one place before my wanderlust brings me anywhere, in this case, back to you. I'm so glad it did."

Serena felt herself slipping into unconsciousness as Ash reached under the blankets and found her hand, holding it tightly. She was nearly asleep, in the strange but wonderful limbo in between slumber and awareness, when she heard him whisper to her; she was sure Ash thought she had already been taken by sleep.

"Will you come with me, Serena?"

Serena felt her brain pushing her back towards consciousness, to ask him what he meant, where he was going, but her exhausted body kept her still, keeping her silent. _What? Come with you?_

Ash remained silent, his breathing deep and steady, and in her half-awake state, she let her mind wander as she slipped finally into sleep, wondering as she did so where exactly he was going.

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 **Definitely need one more chapter now, huh?! I promise to update soon! For now, cheers to you!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

 **AN** : _Well, here it is guys. The last chapter for this story. It might be a bit boring because it's dialogue heavy, but it wraps up everyone's feelings nicely I think. It was really hard for me to write because A) I didn't want this to end and B) I wanted to write this exchange as well as I could. This is probably the most mature I will have these two, but I think it ends nicely, don't you think? Anyway, I can't thank all my supporters enough: Pinkrangerfan, Resting Deeply, Manbearpig01, .delicious and of course, my wonderful friend Epicocity who made this story what it has become. On another note, I'm hoping to begin writing another story at the beginning of next week, so stay tuned. But please, enjoy this final chapter and as always, cheers to you!_

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Serena felt her feet ache with the determination to reach her destination as fast as they could carry her. Looking ahead, the path she ran breathlessly on was eerily similar to the same path she had taken years ago on that fateful day at summer camp, when Ash had become her knight in shining armor. Only this time, it was heavy with darkness and overgrown, like not a single soul, Pokemon or human, had tended to the thick trees in years. Serena noticed that despite the very real possibility of tripping over an exposed tree root or getting caught haphazardly on the sharp branches that threatened to knot her hair, she seemed to float effortlessly.

"Serena!" Ash's voice sounded out to her, seemingly carried on the thin moonlight that snaked its way through the dense treetops.

"Ash!" Serena called back, her voice feeling trapped in her throat, wrong. It was as though she had forgotten how to speak. "Ash, where are you?"

"Serena, won't you come with me?" Ash's voice called to her, taking on a haunting echo quality that reverberated into her chest. "Look how much time has passed, Serena. It waits for no one."

Serena was painting now, running with urgency deeper into the dark woods, shadows flitting by her that if she looked hard enough she could have sworn looked like Poliwag. Ash's voice drew her farther and faster. She was desperate to reach him, a small part of her screaming that if she didn't, she would be lost. "Ash, I can't see you! You have to stop so I can find you!"

"I'm right in front of you, Serena." Ash's voice swept through the air, but it seemed to be fading now, dying on the dead forest floor that littered the ground under her feet.

Suddenly, as quickly as the forest had threatened to envelop her, a clearing appeared, accompanied by two paths, one veering to her left while the other curved to the right. Serena stopped in her tracks, her heart pounding and eyes wild, moving quickly back and forth between the two paths. She strained her vision to peer down each, attempting to make out anything that might be at the end of them. Instead, she noticed a small wooden placard nailed carefully to a tree that marked the beginning of each path.

Squinting, she approached the left path first and leaned close to the faded placard, just able to make out the words that read back "SAFETY." Confused, Serena seemed to instantly appear in front of the path to the right, directly in front of the placard signifying the path that read "CHANCE."

Serena if possible felt more befuddled. Neither of these paths seemed to lead to Ash, who was still conveniently out of sight, while his presence was heavy all around her. "Ash, just tell me where you are!"

His voice echoed once more, and this time, Serena definitely noticed it had gotten significantly weaker while the forest around her began to fade into nothingness. "I can't stay in one place, Serena; I'm everywhere at once. But you'll find me wherever you need me to be."

Serena's eyes flew open, her chest heaving and forehead damp with a cold sweat like she had really been running through the unknown forest wildly and not nestled in her soft bed. Her mouth felt dry and she brought a tongue out to run over her lips which threatened to crack with being chapped. Slowly becoming more aware of her surroundings, she exhaled heavily.

"It was just a dream…" Serena whispered quietly, bring a hand to her eyes to cover them and rub them gently, bringing herself slowly to reality.

With that realization she had been dreaming, Serena suddenly remembered she had not gone to bed alone and had a moment of reliving Ash's fingers gently twining with hers as she floated into unconsciousness. She smiled, her stomach dropping at yesterday's events. She thought about the sweet sensation that had been Ash's forgiving lips on hers, his soft hands sweeping up her spine to reach around and cup her face. _That_ had certainly not been a dream, as hard as it was to believe.

Gently rolling onto her side, being careful to not wake her sleeping partner, Serena gasped slightly when she was met with the blankets turned down beside her, a definite indent of where Ash's head had rested on the pillow, but Ash was no longer there.

Serena furrowed her brow and pushed herself up on her elbow, her hair falling to brush her hand clenching the wrinkled sheets. She stifled a yawn as she squinted around the room, noticing that the digital clock on the nightstand on the side of the bed where Ash had slept was blinking, signaling the power had returned sometime in the night. Blinking, Serena looked to her window where sunlight, dimmed, but welcome, was pouring in through the glass.

Serena reached her arms above her head, clasping her hands together in a long stretch. She followed by throwing the blankets off of her body, suppressing a shiver as the cool air hit her bare legs. Swinging her legs over the side, she stepped down lightly onto the floor and padded across the room where she stuck her head around her bedroom door.

"Ash?" Serena whispered, looking around the room. It was dimly lit by the early morning light, but the sun's rays hit Delphox, deeply asleep, attempting to fit her tall form on the couch and failing magnificently. Pikachu had assumed his position at the top of the couch as he had the day before, his lightning bolt shaped tail curled close to his nose as he snored. Serena smiled at this, bringing herself fully into the room. Serena brushed her hair away from her forehead, running her fingers through it quickly to make it look like she hadn't just woken up flushed from her dream. As she did, she looked towards the sliding glass door that led to the back of her bungalow where she caught sight of him.

Serena moved herself to be just inside of the door, hesitating to open it. From behind, he looked relaxed, his sweatpants slung around his hips, leaning heavily to his left side. His arms were crossed, looking out to the now calm seas; Serena blushed heavily as she was met with his bare back, his well-toned muscles still and quiet but strong. She took a moment to remember the words he spoke to her while she was nearly asleep, stuck in her unconsciousness and paralyzed. _Come with me, Serena._

"Where do you want me to go?" Serena whispered to herself. Her mind raced back to the strange dream she had, her hand coming to rest over her heart remembering her heavy breathing as she woke up.

Taking a deep breath, Serena gripped the handle of the door and slid it open, her hair instantly blown back by the salty sea breeze.

Immediately, she regretted the choice to open the door because she had never seen Ash jump as high as he did, a split second of panic in his eyes before he saw her and realized she had found him. Her face turned scarlet and her heart sunk, feeling terrible that she had frightened him so much before he relaxed almost instantly.

"Serena…" He breathed, a smile reaching his eyes as they locked onto hers. He reached out to her and she took it, feeling his fingers gently meet hers as he pulled her into him. "You're up early."

Serena curled herself into Ash's body, warmed by the sun that was slowly announcing its presence over the horizon. "I could say the same for you." She stole a glance up at his face, decorated with a small, crooked smile and staring stoically out back to the sunrise. His arm wrapped around her and she could feel Ash's hands making small, soothing motions on her upper arm.

They stayed silent for a moment, Serena feeling her stomach rising and falling with each breath she took. Yesterday morning, she could barely stomach the idea of facing Ash in her own home and fled, seeking safety away from him. By the end of the day, she heard him say that he loved her as she melted into him, malleable in her undisputed happiness. She was eager to bend to him as he kissed her, pleasantly surprised at how sweet and perfect it was.

"Did I wake you?" Ash interrupted her thoughts, and she paused for a moment to recollect them before she answered.

"No," she began. Both of their eyes were focused on the sunrise. "I didn't expect you to be up before me, actually." Serena laughed lightly, tearing her eyes away from the orange and red stained sky to look up at Ash, who was already looking down at her.

"I guess that's something I picked up after watching Wailmer for a while." Ash rubbed under his nose, a tick Serena recognized. "They tend to be hungry before the sun comes up."

Serena brought her hand to rest on his stomach, her tone accusatory. "That sounds like someone else I know."

Ash proceeded to rubbing the back of his head now, laughing out loud. "Hey, life is better with a full stomach." He paused, the smile playing softly on his lips, his eyes deep and serious. "And with you. Life is better with you, Serena."

"Ash…" Serena trailed off, letting his words hit her like a ton of bricks. It was jarring and welcoming all at once. Serena felt herself feeling the same now that she wasn't spending every night typing out messages that were too honest and long to send, or mornings looking at the superficial conversation that passed between them. Serena was absorbed with how wonderful it felt to hear her name slide off of his lips with enough tenderness to melt her.

 _Look how much time has passed, Serena. It waits for no one._

"I'm happy to be with you, too." Serena finally said, choosing her words carefully. Her slow thinking had gotten Ash's attention which surprised Serena. She had been counting on his denseness to shield her own hesitation but instead he had caught on, looking concerned.

"There's… something you're not telling me." Ash said, relaxing his arm that was around her shoulders to fall at his side. He brought it back up immediately to brush her knotted hair gently behind her ear with so much care Serena couldn't tell which way was up or down. "Something is on your mind."

Serena's breath came out all at once as though she had been holding it without realizing it. She had been right about the feeling that was hidden beneath the passion of the kiss they shared yesterday. There was maturity etched in Ash's face and reverberating in his voice that made her feel… special. Like every moment they shared together was receiving Ash's full attention. On the outside, he was still the same, hot headed powerful Pokemon trainer she fell in love with that couldn't tell you a storm was raging around him in the middle of a battle, but the seriousness with which he handled their fledgling relationship moved her.

"I was woken up by… a very interesting dream I had." Serena said, leaning into his touch by tilting her cheek into his hand where his thumb brushed her lips.

"A dream?" Ash dropped his hand and pulled her back to him again. "What kind of dream?"

"I don't know if I can describe it very well, but I was running. Fast. In a forest that was dark and overgrown but if you squinted, it looked a lot like the forest where we first met." Serena continued, letting herself be supported by Ash's body weight. "I was looking for you."

Ash stiffened at this, just slightly enough that Serena could feel him tense, but he let it roll off of him quickly. "For me? Too fast for you, huh?"

Serena laughed lightly before continuing. "Well, yes. I couldn't actually see you. Just your voice… calling to me," Serena trailed off, thinking about how it echoed across the canopy of the dense forest. "I never did actually see you, but your voice brought me to this clearing with two paths… I never… chose."

Ash was definitely tense now, as if _he_ was hiding something from _her_ now. She bit her lip, knowing it most likely had to do with what he whispered to her while she hung between sleep and being awake. She thought about how open Ash had been with her since he had been the first one to tell her that he loved her and understood the surprise at his maturity; as happy as she had been to hear him say all of the things she longed for, there was a certain level of cautiousness that fell between them, a wall put up by herself. In the back of her mind, the vision of a distraught Ash wrenching himself away from her blurred vision kept her from fully experiencing the totality of which Ash was handing himself to her. His words echoed in her head then, again. _Nothing we do is a waste of time_. Slowly, it was time to tear those walls down.

"Ash, last night, you must have thought I was asleep…" Serena trailed off, swallowing.

Ash felt his shoulders tense and quiver ever so slightly, attempting to control it to avoid jostling Serena who was pinned to his side. _She heard him_ , he thought, his thoughts frantic. He had not been planning to have this conversation quite so soon, although at this rate, it seemed unavoidable. Ash held his breath and braced for impact.

"You asked me a question," she asked him, looking up at him slyly from beneath her lashes. It made his heart beat faster and he could do almost nothing but stare at her dumbly and began to direct his gaze back to the brilliant sunrise being reflected in her blue irises. "My dream showed me two paths. One was marked with the word 'SAFETY' and the other marked 'CHANCE.'"

Ash actually tilted his head at this, curious. "What do you suppose that means?"

He heard Serena take two normal breaths, thinking about what she was going to say next. The breaths seemed to drag on as he waited, anxiously. Just yesterday morning he had woken up on her couch, barely understanding how he had gotten there. By the end of the day, Ash had kissed her in the torrential rain, feeling the softness of her lips beneath his. It had been so comfortable and perfect it felt like they had been doing so for years.

"I think understanding what you asked me before I slipped into dreamland last night will help me understand what they might mean." Serena said to him, the words tumbling out all at once, but Ash understood. He stayed silent for a few moments, deciding how to continue.

"Serena…" He began. He looked pointedly away from her and she did the same, the two continuing to gaze out towards the waters of Coumarine City. "I told you, after I lost Kalos, I got so frustrated with myself, and I left far too quickly. I was just as confused as you were when I did… I've never felt so out of control like that."

Ash felt Serena nod into his side, coaxing him silently to continue. The breeze ruffled her hair and tickled him but he didn't dare move his arm that was slung around her waist.

"You've always been different to me. A good different, a different that made me want to work harder." Ash put a smile on his face. "I'm lucky enough that I've got a lot of great friends in a lot of different places, and each of them has always cheered hard for me. But you stand out, Serena. When you first came back to me after I lost to Viola… it's like a new chapter started for me. I'm pretty oblivious, I'll admit, but even a dense lug like me could see that you were something special, Serena. You still are."

Serena could hardly hide the deep scarlet that came rushing to her cheeks. She wanted to say she felt the same way, because she did. She wanted him to know that a part of her had always belonged to him and that hadn't changed over the years they had been apart; that the goodnight texts she had sent him week after week were a terrible disguise for the words 'I love you'. Yet her lips stayed shut as she felt the beginnings of tears welling up in her eyes, unable to respond.

"I always knew I had to come back to you, to tell you how I felt. I didn't know when, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy. How could you forgive me, or feel the same way after the selfish way I acted?" Ash said thickly, pausing for a moment to collect himself. "I really screwed that up, and I'm sorry. But then I was led here by Wailmer, and I knew it wasn't just a coincidence. Maybe I was meant to go, grow up a little bit. Time slows down for no one, and it's not the way I imagined us happening, but I know that nothing we do…"

"Is a waste of time." Serena finished for him, so quietly Ash almost didn't hear her speak. He caught it though, and heard the emotion in her voice as thick as smoke. He only gripped her waist tighter as he pressed on, determined.

"I threw myself into training when I wasn't studying Wailmer. I wanted to be stronger so I could finally fulfill my dream of becoming a Pokemon master." Ash released Serena's waist and turned to face her now. She refused to turn to him and held her chin up, staring resolutely at the rising sun. "I didn't want to do this to you, not yet. I wanted to wait, and stay in one place for a while, to be with you. I know now I'm being selfish again, but… after working so hard, I can't stay in one spot again, I want to fulfill my dream. I want to enter Kalos again. I feel it's the place to do it. And then I want to keep traveling, and seeing all that I can see for just a little longer. But I don't want to be alone. I want you with me, Serena."

Serena was not surprised by this, but all the same, her stomach plummeted. She knew how she wanted to respond. She wanted to tell him yes, that after years of being in the same place too, she was ready to go with him. But the wall inside of her deflected his question like a well-timed Protect.

"Serena." Ash said, this time firmly. Serena was once again surprised by this, and caught off guard by his seriousness. She felt his hand reach out and take a gentle hold of her chin, but didn't move her face, waiting for her to make the move on her own. She turned towards him and was met with his brown eyes. "I know how selfish I'm being. I don't expect you to answer right now."

Serena shook her head, wanting to back away from his touch because it had taken her breath away for a moment. Just as suddenly as she wanted to tell him how much she loved him and yes, she would go with him, there was a part of her that looked down towards her path marked with the giant letters that spelled out SAFETY.

"I know I'm being selfish, and really I should have done this differently. This life that you've set up for yourself here is…" Ash trailed off, and Serena heard the subtle sadness in his voice. Quickly, her racing mind threatening with whiplash, she broke away from his touch and marched back through the sliding glass door, leaving Ash dumbfounded. She paused just inside the door and looked back at him, an invitation which he took, crossing the threshold after her.

Serena's vision became a tunnel towards her front closet where just a few days ago a vivid flashback was at the forefront of her memory. Reaching the closet with several large steps, largely ignoring Delphox and Pikachu who began to stir at the sudden commotion, she flung the doors open. Without hesitation, Serena reached towards the far end for the black garment bag that until recently rested untouched and hidden. She aggressively unzipped the bag and for the first time in a long time, looked at the dress her mom had bought her for her very first performance. A moment passed as she stared at it, her lips parted as she felt Ash's eyes on her back. Finally, she wrenched the stiff dress off of the hanger inside the bag and turned to face him.

Ash was staring at her with such a tender expression it nearly knocked Serena backwards. He looked… guilty. As if he was waiting to be chastised for coming home too late, or forgetting her birthday. Serena's felt the wall inside her crumbling as her words came out.

"After you left, I was confused. I didn't understand, the way you pulled yourself away from me wasn't like you." Serena started off whispering, but as she began to speak she grew more confident and louder. "You were the one that helped me realize my dream of wanting to become Kalos Queen. I didn't know who I wanted to be before we came back together, only that I was running far away from what I didn't want: to be a Rhyhorn racer, like my mother."

"You were always so beautiful on stage, Serena." Ash interjected, taking a step towards her.

"I felt like I could do anything with your support, and I loved doing it. When you left, I felt like no matter how much I still loved being out there, I felt… strange, knowing you weren't there with me, out there watching. I felt like I did something wrong." Serena pushed through, gripping the dress tightly in her fist, looking down at the fabric.

"You've never done anything wrong." Ash's voice sounded far away. "I'm so sorry, Serena."

Serena shut her eyes tightly, squeezing out the tears that had formed there. "I built this life here because I wanted to keep that love for performing alive somehow, by making Pokemon feel their best. It's been rewarding, but its felt fake, Ash. I can't tell you how many times I wanted to tell you how angry I was at you when you left me but the part of me that has always felt so strongly for you held me back."

Ash's voice cut her off sharply. "Don't hold back."

This stopped Serena as she looked away from the fabric running between her fingers. Ash's eyes were just as bright as hers and her heart felt torn.

"Don't hold back from me. I spent years being a fake to myself and to you. It's never been fair, and it won't be until you stop holding back." Ash held a determined look on his face, one she had seen many times on the battle field. "I can feel the wall you're putting up Serena."

Serena almost had to laugh at how much Ash sounded like Juliette in the moment but held back, putting on the same determined expression on her face. "I was angry when you left me. Angry with you, but mostly angry with myself for not going after you and beating some freaking sense into you, Ash Ketchum."

Ash had closed the distance between them slowly, almost unnoticeable until now that he stood directly in front of her. His hand covered hers over the dress and brought it to her chest where she could feel her own heartbeat. "Well, I'm here now."

Serena took a deep, calming breath, feeling the tears slipping down her cheeks. Ash made no movement to brush them away but simply waited for her to respond. Serena's eyes flitted around the room, making eye contact with anything but Ash's eyes. In doing so, she was met with the faces of Delphox and Pikachu who were peeking out from behind the couch. Serena hid a disappointed pout from Ash, narrowing her eyes minutely at them. Delphox brought her paw out and made a circular motion, as if telling her to go on while Pikachu nodded in encouragement.

"I think I know what my dream was telling me." Serena said to him, her voice sure. "That the safe path would be to stay here, to keep the life I've had without you here. But, I'm strong. I don't need the safe path. I want the path that told me it held chances. I want the chances to see things, to compete again and to meet new people."

Ash felt the corner of his mouth turn up into what he was sure was a goofy, crooked smile. "You should do what you want to do, Serena."

"I want to take the chance path. I want to take the chance to build a chance life with you." Serena finished, the hand not gripping the dress to her heart lifting to his cheek to brush his cheek bones. "I don't want to go with you, and I don't want you to go with me."

Ash tilted his head, confused. "Okay, that is not where I thought that was going."

Serena giggled as she moved her hand down to hold the back of his neck. "I want us to go together. From now on, we are a team. We don't have to be two halves of a whole, because we're strong apart, but we can be a team, because we're stronger together. I'm ready to take the chance path again, but I don't want to go with you, I want to go together."

Ash brought both of his hands to the sides of her face, so affectionately and with the most sincere kindness that Serena felt the dress slip through her fingers and fall into a heap at their feet. "I have a really bad case of wanderlust, Serena. But you just might be able to still that in me."

Serena lifted her face to his, her eyes closing lazily as his breath mingled with hers. "Well that hardly seems far, does it?"

"What?" Ash's voice was a whisper against her lips.

"If you have a bad case of wanderlust, then I guess so do I." Serena said quietly. "I can be everywhere at once, but you'll find me wherever you need me."

"Together?" Ash said, his breath coming quickly in anticipation.

Serena responded, quickly opening her eyes and furrowing her brow. "We don't have to leave like… tomorrow? Do we? Because I think Juliette would kill me if I didn't let her rub this in my face for at least a week, or two."

Ash laughed as he held her, shaking his head. "I don't know who that is but I would be remiss if I didn't let them rub this in your face."

Serena rolled her eyes at him, huffing heavily but with a smile. "You aren't funny, but yes, together."

Ash felt Serena push herself onto her toes and press into him, their kiss creating starlight behind his closed eyes. For the first time, he felt like molten glass in her hands as she brought them across his shoulders and her lips dictated the movement against his. The kiss felt like it lasted an eternity, but when they broke apart, he felt as still as he had been in years.

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 **FIN**

 _Please stay tuned, and come back again! I can't thank everyone enough!_


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